I think the problem with the '95 version was that it was too much about the director's 'vision' instead of being about Dredd. It always strikes me that if you're basing a film on an already fantastical and well-established backstory, if you divert away from it too much, it renders the film pointless. Hence Hammerstein being thrown in, except it wasn't Hammerstein etc.
Hopefully with this reboot they'll stay proportionately true to the source material. To me, Dredd is like Batman - you don't need explanations etc - people know who is and what Mega City One is, so just get on with recreating a classic story with the characters as they were originally intended to be!
I like the idea of Johnny Alpha turning up, but unfortunately thing that Strontium Dog isn't a well known enough story for people to know what'd be going on. Judge Death would work, as would the Sov-block invasion story.... or dare I say it.....
Chopper?