Mad Max 4 Tagged Articles at Cinematical

After weeks of breathless speculation as to who would be riding George Miller's bleak highways of Mad Max: Fury Road, there's been a conformation. Variety reports that Charlize Theron has boarded the film, but that it'll be Tom Hardy (Bronson) who takes over the coveted lead. The script is being kept under tight wraps, so we still don't know if Mad Max: Fury Road will be a reboot or a sequel. Speculation has been rampant for more than twenty years, and as is the case with so many revived franchises, we'll probably end up being terribly wrong. Hopefully for the better.

So, we only know that Hardy is playing "the male lead. Will it be the Mad Max, made so iconic by Mel Gibson? Or will Max have taken on some kind of mythological, Robin Hood like status in the barren wasteland, and someone simply takes on the title? It could go either way (but hopefully not the way of Kevin Costner's The Postman), and I'm excited that Hardy has the part. He's been one of those actors lurking under The Really Big Time, and this could be the film that pushes him into stardom.

Theron's role might be the biggest and coolest surprise. She's a big enough name that I can't believe she'll be shoved into a corner as The Wife of Mad Max. Will she be a post-apocalyptic warrior too? I hope so. With so few remnants of humanity left, you need all the badasses you can get. It would be nice to see that reflected beyond Tina Turner.

It remains to be seen what Mad Max fans will think, but the businesses of Australia are excited that work on Mad Max 4: Fury Road will begin immediately, according to a story today in the Daily Telegraph. There is no confirmation as to who will be starring in the film, but it will most likely not be Mel Gibson. The likeliest candidate as of now is Sam Worthington (Terminator: Salvation) (not Tom Hardy), with Charlize Theron as the leading lady. Original Mad Max director George Miller -- who most recently gave us Happy Feet -- will once again helm.

Either way, the locals are thrilled. Some of the locations used on the previous three films, Mad Max (1979), Mad Max 2 (a.k.a. The Road Warrior) (1981) and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), have become local attractions. The owner of one such attraction, the Silverton Hotel, said, (insert Australian accent here): "This is bloody huge. Absolutely magnificent. Silverton depends on the film industry, it survives on the film industry, and if Mad Max is going to be filmed here it's going to be just tremendous."

The production is expected to provide more than 500 local jobs and funnel tens of millions of dollars into the local economy. Pre-production begins immediately, with shooting scheduled to begin next year.

UPDATE: Watch a video after the jump of director George Miller introducing some of the vehicles being used in the new Mad Max movie, as well as addressing some of the casting rumors. According to the man himself, nothing is definitive yet and he still has a lot more people to see.

There are some big casting rumors circling two big #4 features in the works:

Will Dylan Baker finally have a chance to play the Lizard in Spider-Man 4? Looks that way, as during a Q&A for the new horror flick Trick 'R Treat in New York City the other night, Baker said that he'd just gotten a call regarding Spider-Man 4 and that he's definitely onboard for the fourth installment. Of course, considering the fact that Baker played the unassuming Dr. Curt Connors in Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3, there's a chance he'll be playing the same boring, no-nothing role for a third time. But since this will most likely be the last film for Sam Raimi, Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst -- thereby making it the last film within this particular Spider-Man universe -- then I can't see why they wouldn't finally move forward with Baker as the Lizard.

Read the rest over at SciFi Squad
Then hit the jump for Mad Max news...

It's a quiet day (so far) on the Interwebs, which has led to everyone noticing and buzzing about a great little rumor that Ain't It Cool News discovered thanks to The Modesto Bee. The Bee caught up with up and comer Jeremy Renner (currently turning heads in the much buzzed about The Hurt Locker), and he revealed that he was trying to get behind the wheel of a famous black Interceptor. "I'm also fighting to do the new Mad Max film with George Miller. That might be next summer. I'm screen-testing and meeting George Miller."

A screen test is a long way from a casting announcement (just think about who all screen tested for The Green Lantern), but it's the first news to come out of the long delayed Max Max reboot / remake project in some time. Obviously, Renner is being vague enough that he might not even be referring to trying out for the part of Mr. Rockatansky, but come on. If you name drop Mad Max, you're trying out for Max, which suggests this will be a straight up remake.

Read the rest at SciFi Squad

Advance word on the amazing action in George Miller's The Road Warrior in 1982 was amazingly strong, even without Internet movie sites. When The Road Warrior did rampage on American movie screens, lo, the destructive path was indeed very broad and thrilling, unsuspecting audiences collectively dropped their jaws, and Mel Gibson was firmly cemented as an "A" list star.

The Road Warrior was, of course, a sequel to Miller's Mad Max, also starring Gibson, but that amazing adrenaline-fueled movie was relegated to drive-ins and Gibson's voice, deemed "too Australian," was ignominiously dubbed into "American" by another actor. The third movie in the series, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, was a bit of a letdown, though it definitely had its moments, and is probably best remembered for Tina Turner's appearance. Gibson went on to a huge career for many years, while director Miller moved on to family-friendly fare like Babe: Pig in the City and Happy Feet.

Once again, Film Threat has released its annual list of the Coldest People in Hollywood -- the ones whose careers are in the most trouble according to them. Strangely, the actress I would have thought was the natural contender for #1, Nicole Kidman, only makes #6. Of course, if The Golden Compass is a huge hit, it'll reverse a string of box-office misfortunes. Film Threat's advise is for Kidman to seek a job on George Miller's projected Mad Max 4. Hilary Swank, star of a robust contender for worst of '07, is advised to choose her work with more care ("She may have grown up eating sawdust in Gooberville, Washington, or wherever, but it's no longer necessary to accept every script that comes her way"). And there's no arguments here with choices Eli Roth (#8), scandal plagued actress Vanessa Hudgens (above), and Jennifer Lopez ("there doesn't seem to be any measure that can stop her from making more bad movies."). Certainly, Natalie Portman (#41) deserves a remembrance for her dual role in Goya's Ghosts, not even mentioned in the citation.

Naturally, this list offers more bones to pick than a washtub-sized bucket of KFC. Jessicas Alba and Biel share #12 (hey, Jessica Biel can act, you ruffians!); Eddie Murphy (#16) who is still quite A-list, is derided for Norbit, a popular hit that had a few defenders. Quentin Tarantino (#22) is hardly out of the game, despite the mixed feelings people had about Death Proof, and Ray Liotta (#29) has a wicked cameo in a Top Five movie right now. Lindsay Lohan charts at #51 on a list of 50. Guys, where was Eddie Izzard on this list: Across the Universe and Romance and Cigarettes within months of each other! Film Threat's number 1 pick isn't even an actor, though I doubt if anyone feels like returning his phone calls right now. In the meantime, bad-film fans can wait breathlessly for the Golden Raspberry awards coming up later this year.

Okay, so George Miller is crazy enough to believe he can cast and shoot a live action Justice League of America film before the potential strike at the end of May, and now Moviehole reports that he's adding another flick to the mix; his long-awaited sequel: Mad Max 4. That's right, according to the site, the film is back on -- it has officially been green-lit, and the production offices have opened back up at Fox Studios in Sydney this week. Titled Mad Max: Fury Road, this isn't the first time the sequel has been attempted. The film was originally given a budget of $100 million, back when Mel Gibson was still attached to star, but conflicts in Africa (where the film was to be shot) pushed production into hiatus. For the past few years, Miller has been eager to re-start Fury Road, claiming back in March that he was still moving ahead, but without Gibson in the lead role -- opting instead for a "younger face."

Now, as Moviehole points out (via one of their very reliable sources), pre-production on Mad Max: Fury Road shall commence immediately, and there's also a possibility it will be released in theaters before Justice League. If two films aren't enough, why not throw on a third? Yep, aside from JLA and Mad Max, Miller has also begun pre-production on Happy Feet 2. Of course, the animated pic will take a few years to make, so I can't see that taking up too much of his time this winter. There's no word yet on what the Mad Max sequel will be about, but I imagine since Miller's looked at almost all of Young Hollywood for potential roles in JLA, he may have already found his Gibson replacement. What do you think about all this? Is Miller getting too far ahead of himself by taking on both projects at the same time? And, admit it, but don't you kind of wish that whole Justice League thing would just quietly go away? Personally, I'd much rather see a Mad Max sequel, regardless of Gibson's involvement. But that's me.

Last we heard from the Mad Max 4 camp, director George Miller was bummed after having to abandon production on the film in Nambia, Africa due to the war, and the fact that they couldn't get insurance or their vehicles shipped into the country. Mel Gibson, who had reportedly signed on to star (for a crisp $25 million, mind you) bailed, and a lot of the budget was lost, as well as a heck of a lot of time. This is the reason why it's been 8 years since Miller directed a film -- before the upcoming Happy Feet, his last pic was 1998's Babe: Pig in the City.

However, more time has passed, and in a recent interview with In Focus Miller once again addressed the question on everyone's mind: Will he or will he not be helming a Mad Max 4? Says Miller, "Mad Max 4 is so prepared, there seems to be a lot of momentum for it to get done. Right now, I've got another, smaller film to do, and then we'll gear up and do Mad Max again. In what form and so on, I don't know. But it hasn't gotten stale in the meantime, and I'm very very keen to do it. It seems like there's the appetite out there." The title of the film (we're assuming) will still be Mad Max: Fury Road, and although originally pegged as a prequel, Miller denied those rumors without saying anything more about the project.

But what about Mel? Will he hop back on the wagon, even though he's already fallen off of it? And would a Max Max sequel be worth it if Mel doesn't sign on? After all, he did agree to do a fourth Lethal Weapon, so I suppose there's a good chance he'll be game. If Gibson decides not to don the futuristic Mad Max outfit, who would be your top choice to replace him?

[via Hollywood Wiretap]