George Miller

For better or worse, George Miller's fourth installment of the Mad Max series -- tentatively titled Mad Max: Fury Road -- is moving forward sans Mel Gibson in the titular role. Previous reports had confirmed UK-import Tom Hardy was in talks for the lead, but in an interview with the MTV Movies Blog, Hardy makes it clear that his involvement is not yet set in stone. Instead, he uses these carefully chosen words: the role of Max Rockatansky is "strongly coming in [his] direction."

While all signs do point to Hardy for Max, it's a bit surprising to hear just how little Miller and Hardy have actually discussed the role thus far. Hardy mentions that he has read the script and has started preparing, and it's heartening to hear him verbalize the desire to take Max in a different direction. Whether this is just a matter of Hardy trying to be as PR-correct as possible (probably) or if there really is some chance Hardy will not end up in the film, the brief interview serves as a excellent opportunity to probe the question: Is Hardy right for the role? And furthermore, should anyone be resurrecting Max at this point?

After seeing Hardy tear up the screen in Bronson, I have to believe the guy deserves a shot at anything. So in that sense, Miller's (likely) casting choice doesn't seem so odd. More than casting though, this one will come down to script and story. Because (and I feel like I'm not alone here) Miller has a bit of an uphill battle to prove why we need to see beyond Beyond Thunderdome.

Just a few days ago, I sang the praises of Tom Hardy as a potential replacement for Mel Gibson in the fourth Mad Max film, Fury Road. Now, ABC News reports that current sci-fi golden boy Sam Worthington (Terminator Salvation, Avatar, upcoming Clash of the Titans) is director George Miller's current choice for the lead. Miller was coy in speaking with ABC, "It could be Mel, it could be anyone, in fact I'm looking around at these faces to see if anyone's quite interesting here." Charlize Theron is still all but confirmed as the female lead.

Miller's proposed Justice League film, which never started shooting, suffered from the same kind of casting shell game. When Warner Bros. seemed to be gearing up production on that dream project, a revolving list of (affordable) hot young actors had their names attached as different superheroes. Are George Miller and Warner Bros. performing a similar strategy with Fury Road? Throwing random names into the rumor mill to gauge which ones get the most public approval?

I like the idea of Tom Hardy as Mad Max more than Worthington. Hardy's more dangerous, and I think that's an important element of the character. No matter who they choose, Fury Road is closer to being a reality than ever before. Pre-production begins next week with the crew heading to New South Wales, Australia for an August 2010 shoot.

Let this be my public apology to Tom Hardy, an actor I'd completely dismissed due to his pouty-lipped performance as Picard's villainous clone in Star Trek: Nemesis. I expect evil clones to at least act somewhat like their heroic counterparts, but Hardy didn't even come close to resembling Jean-Luc Picard at any point in that picture. These lowered expectations led me to get knocked flat on my butt by Hardy's amazing, fearless performance in this year's Bronson, in which he disappears completely into the role of England's most notorious career prisoner. Hardy is unhinged in that film, turning from shockingly funny to downright scary on a dime, as the scenes demand it.

It's that presence that Hardy brings to Bronson that makes me excited that he's being considered for the role of Max in director George Miller's new Mad Max relaunch (announced originally as Fury Road). E! Online reports that sources close to Miller confirm that he's got his eye on Tom Hardy to replace Mel Gibson as the lead, and I'm hard-pressed to think of a more inspired choice. Oscar-winning glamourpuss Charlize Theron is also being considered as the female lead role in the film.

It's a step in the right direction for this long-gestating project. Miller is keeping the story details under wraps, and there's still no word on when cameras will ever start rolling on this thing. The original 1979 film introduces Max Rockatansky, a drfiter in a post-apocalyptic world, who continually runs afoul of roving gangs of murderous scavengers, causing large-scale vehicular mayhem in the process. The hugely influential film was followed by two sequels, 1981's The Road Warrior (aka Mad Max 2) and 1985's Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, and spawned countless imitators.

By: Elisabeth Rappe

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.