Mad Max: Fury Road will hit theaters later this summer, and when it does we'll finally find out how Tom Hardy does in the classic action hero role made popular by Mel Gibson in the 1979 science fiction classic. But future Mad Max: Fury Road sequels (and director George Miller definitely plans on making at least two sequels) don't just have to speculate about Tom Hardy vs Mel Gibson in the role of Mad Max. A future Mad Max film could potentially bring Mel Gibson back to the franchise that kicked off his career.
Admittedly, right now Gibson's not in a great place, career-wise. After a series of threats and angry voicemails that were full of hateful speech and slurs, his popularity has plummeted and it's been increasingly difficult for Gibson to find a lead role. His last was in The Expendables 3, where he played the villain (seemingly to capitalize on his current notoriety), but the actor has received few major roles since then.
Courting Gibson to the next Mad Max film would definitely be seen as a controversial move- after all, Gibson's not a popular guy- but it could open up the Mad Max franchise to all kinds of new story opportunities. And Gibson doesn't even have to play Mad Max, necessarily (after, all, that could get awkward, unless George Miller wants to start introducing time travel or parallel universes- that would be a bit much). He could play a side character, like an older mentor to the new Max, or another villain.
But even if he doesn't show up, the franchise is in good hands with Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron. A new cover for Total Film magazine shows the two stars in full Mad Max costume- Theron even sporting a robotic arm. We'll see how she uses that thing in the movie.
Mad Max: Fury Road premieres on May 15, 2015.
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