Lionsgate has acquired the U.S. distribution rights to the Judge Dredd film, currently in preproduction in South Africa, according to Hollywood Reporter.  The pre-sale for the U.S. joins another $30 million in pre-sales for other markets (see “Dredd Movie Nets $30 Million”).

The 3D Judge Dredd feature based on the comics, which will star Karl Urban, is being produced by many of the same people who produced District 9, a relatively low-budget science fiction film that did well.