Conflicting reports are beginning to emerge surrounding the status of Warner Bros.’ Mad Max franchise, with Fury Road director George Miller now claiming that won’t be involved in any of the planned sequels.
Word comes by way of New York Post, where Miller pointed to the lengthy and troubled production of Fury Road, before stating that he “won’t do those any more.” At 70 years young, one can certainly understand the director’s apprehension about jumping straight back into such an expansive blockbuster, but these latest comments contradict what Miller has said in the past about both a Mad Max sequel and the potential of a Furiosa spinoff.
Even still, more recently the esteemed Australian filmmaker was quoted as saying that he would be willing to pass the buck to another director to helm the inevitable sequel to Fury Road, and today’s tidbit certainly lends credence to Miller moving on.
“I won’t make more Mad Max movies,” the newspaper quotes Miller as declaring. “I’ve shot in Australia in a field of wildflowers and flat red earth when it rained heavily forever. We had to wait 18 months and every return to the US was 27 hours. Those Mad Maxes take forever. I won’t do those any more.”
Official details are still thin on the sun-scorched ground, though we find it difficult to imagine a scenario wherein George Miller cuts ties with the Mad Max universe completely; rather, even with new blood at the helm, we expect the director will remain attached as executive producer or some form of creative advisor. He has presided over the Wasteland for more than 35 years, after all.
Mad Max: Fury Road continues to crop up in awards conversation, and was recently confirmed as the best-reviewed movie of 2015 based on Rotten Tomatoes’ aggregate score, but will it be enough to coax George Miller back into the director’s chair?