Yesterday,Mad Max: Fury RoaddirectorGeorge Millerdropped a bombshell, revealing that he was “done” making more movies in the franchise, even after stating numerous times he had two planned sequels. The filmmaker had stated after the release ofMad Max: Fury Roadthat he wanted to make a smaller film first, before delving back into this apocalyptic wasteland, so many thought his most recent comments were quite surprising. As it turns out, the filmmaker’s words were taken out of context, revealing toThe Wrapthat he does plan on returning to the franchise, at some point.
“That was a completely garbled interview. I was in New York and it was so noisy and the journalist was asking me questions on a red carpet at the National Board of Review. She completely got the wrong fragments of information that were just not true. I said no, [anotherMad Maxmovie] will not be next, and she took that to mean I never wanted to make another Mad Max. It won’t necessarily be next, but I have two more stories.”
Mad Max: Fury Roadoriginally took shape in the early 2000s, whenMel Gibsonwas still being eyed to come back asMax Rockatanskyfrom the first three movies,Mad Max,Mad Max 2: The Road Warriorand Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. When the project was reworked withTom Hardyas Max andCharlize Theronas Furiosa, it took a whopping three years to complete production. All of that hard work finally paid off this May, when it was released in theaters and became a commercial and critical smash hit.
Earlier today,Mad Max: Fury Roadearned 10Oscar nominations, including one for Best Picture and another forGeorge Milleras Best Director. It had the second most nominations of any movie this year, just behindThe Revenant’s 12 nominations. It still remains to be seen how this blockbuster will fare during Oscar season, but in a year like this where there are no front-runners for Best Picture, anything is possible.
George Millerhasn’t shed any light about the “smaller” film he wants to do afterMad Max: Fury Roadyet, or when he plans to start working on one of his two sequels, tentatively titledMad Max: The Wasteland. Are you glad that the director isn’t saying goodbye to Valhalla for good? Chime in with your thoughts and stay tuned for more on these sequels.
