Take this one strictly as a rumour for now, since nothing official has slipped out from the Dredd camp about this particular nugget of possible casting, but word from a Judge Dredd fan site has 300’s Lena Headey snatching the role of Madeline Madrigal, AKA Ma-Ma, the chief villain of the piece.

According to Bleeding Cool, which spotted the rumour, in the script Ma-Ma is described as a 50/60-year-old woman who is as tough as old boots and boasts a huge scar running through her cheek and lip. But it’s more than possible that the producers and director Pete Travis have decided to spice things up a little. And it’s not like Headey hasn’t proved she can’t be a badass: aside from Queen Gorgo, she also pulled off a decent stab at Sarah Connor on TV and will be back on the small screen in a rather murky role in upcoming fantasy epic Game of Thrones.

Dredd sees the titular lawman (Karl Urban) showing raw recruit Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) the ropes when they get caught up in a siege of one of Mega City One’s massive tower blocks. The darker take on the classic comic character is being shot in 3D in South Africa and should arrive on our screens either later this year or sometime in 2012.

Update: The fine folk over at The Playlist have been able to confirm the rumour, so Headey can now be confirmed as aboard to play Ma-Ma. Huzzah-Huzzah!