Karl Urban has spent a lot of time realizing people’s fantasies.

“I certainly never planned my career out in any advance detail,” says the New Zealand-born (and still-residing) Urban, whose biggest break arguably was his role as Eomer in The Two Towers, the second chapter of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Years later, he landed a bigger gig as Bones McCoy in J.J. Abrams’s 2009 reboot of Star Trek — one of the most celebrated sci-fi franchises of all time.

Yet go back further, to the late ’90s, and you’ll find Urban’s name among the cast of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess. And in between, he’s also racked up credits in Ghost Ship (2002), The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) and Doom (2005).

Now Urban stars as CIA agent William Cooper, who pursues Bruce Willis in Red, a film based on the DC comic by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner. Even in the middle of promoting the movie, which opens tomorrow, Urban’s preparing for another graphic adaptation: Dredd, based on the classic British sci-fi series.

So, why so many fantastical roles, in so many fantastical films? Is Urban especially attracted to such roles?

First of all: “I’ve been sure to counterbalance my roles in big Hollywood projects with smaller films,” he says. Just consider 2006’s Out of the Blue, the true-life story of a New Zealand gunman’s rampage in 1990.

But more to the point: “I’d say it’s more a result of the fact that Hollywood’s drawing more and more influence from those kinds of sources,” Urban continues. “Star Trek is a hugely successful franchise, after all. It’s clear that these kinds of films are being received enthusiastically by audiences, and so that’s the direction Hollywood is leaning. And rightly so.”

Speaking of Star Trek, Urban is committed to the next entry in that resurrected series. But how does it feel to step into such a well-established, even iconic, role?

“Bones represented a very different challenge for me,” Urban says. “I had to be careful not to fall into the trap of impersonation.”

With Dredd, Urban will also be treading where others have trod. The character, for instance, was portrayed by action icon Sylvester Stallone in 1995’s Judge Dredd.

“It’s a high-octane action adaptation,” Urban says of the upcoming film. “The material has been completely reimagined: John Wagner, one of the creators of the original comic, is on board as a consultant.”

Will Urban’s grim hero be reimagined as well? “Absolutely. We’re out to create a very different Dredd this time around.”

But that, of course, is the future. What about this adaptation of Red?

“I only read the original graphic novel after reading the script,” Urban says. “The writers really went beyond the source material to make it a lot funnier. In fact, I’d say it’s more of a comedy than an action film.”

What, then, matters most to Urban the actor?

“Cooper is a well-constructed role: The character has quite an interesting arc in the story. And that’s what interests me as an actor.”