When a director gets locked out of his own editing room, it's never a good sign. While they usually have full control of the movie they are making, if producers feel the need to remove them from any part of the production, chances are that it means they have done more harm than good. In the case of Dredd, however, it may actually be even worse than normal.
The Los Angeles Times is reporting that not only has director Pete Travis been asked to keep away from the post-production process on the new comic book movie, but unnamed sources are saying that writer/producer Alex Garland has taken over and may even go as far as to seek a co-director credit. While the decision to go after the title has not yet been made, it's worth noting that Garland did not shoot any of the movie. The project may be heading to reshoots, but it's unknown who would be manning the camera. Apparently the conflict began while the movie was still in production, when "producers and executives in charge of the production did not see eye-to-eye on footage Travis was delivering." The film is currently scheduled to be released on September 21, 2012.
The sad thing is that Dredd actually had some promise. Karl Urban, who will star as the titular hero, is a strong lead; Alex Garland, whose previous credits include 28 Days Later and Sunshine, is a great writer; and they were clearly trying to improve on the many, many mistakes the 1995 Sylvester Stallone movie made (such as taking off the hero's mask). For those wondering, other movies that have seen their directors kicked out of the editing room include G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Just look how those two films turned out.
