The Mad Max franchise is in the gutter after the unfortunate failure of 2024’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and the only way to take Mad Max back to the top is to bring back original series star Mel Gibson. Following a three-decade period of dormancy, the Mad Max series returned to theatres with 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, with Tom Hardy taking over as Max and Charlize Theron portraying the breakout heroine Furiosa.
Fury Road: A Moderate Success Turned Cult Classic
Though Fury Road was only a moderate box office hit with its $380 million worldwide gross against a budget of $154.6 to $185.2 million, it quickly became cemented as one of the most beloved action movies of all time. However, production on George Miller’s intended follow-up, Mad Max: The Wasteland stalled for nearly a decade, with Miller ultimately writing and directing the prequel Furiosa instead.
Despite Furiosa’s general reception being virtually commensurate with that of Fury Road, the prequel failed to reach similar box office numbers, earning $161.5 million worldwide, barely half of Fury Road’s total and under Furiosa’s own $168 million budget. That outcome has seemingly put the brakes on the Mad Max franchise, with Tom Hardy expressing doubt that The Wasteland will get off the ground in an interview with Forbes (via Deadline).
While the reasons behind Furiosa’s failure, despite its strong reception, can be debated, the return of Mel Gibson (one of the biggest ’90s action stars) could give the Mad Max franchise a big shot in the arm.
The Legacy Of Mel Gibson’s Mad Max Rockatansky
Mad Max Rockatansky was Gibson’s break-out role and remains one of his most iconic characters. Having Gibson return as an older Max could give the franchise the angle of turning The Wasteland (or whatever alternative movie Gibson’s return would be in) into a legacy sequel with a Logan-style tone of a hero who has survived decades of battle and conflict going on one last adventure.
By default, this would also position Gibson’s Mad Max return as a definitive conclusion to the Mad Max series, perhaps being released under a title like Mad Max: The Final Ride to have the two-fold novelty of being both Gibson’s return to arguably his signature role and a Mad Max franchise finale with all the stunts, action, and fireworks of both Fury Road and Furiosa.
Challenges And Convincing Gibson And Miller
To be sure, both Miller and Gibson might take some convincing for the latter to return as Mad Max, with Gibson himself reportedly feeling he has aged out of portraying Max again (via Cinemablend). Meanwhile, Miller has also stated that he doesn’t have a story in mind for an older version of Max (via Screen Rant), also casting doubt on Gibson’s return from Miller’s perspective.
However, plans inevitably evolve in big-budget tentpole filmmaking, especially when a franchise takes a box office dip as Furiosa unfortunately did. Moreover, the history of moviemaking is filled with examples of actors casting doubt on ever returning to iconic roles only to end up eventually doing exactly that, so Mel Gibson returning as Mad Max would be many things, but precedent-setting is not one of them.
The Controversies And Comeback Of Mel Gibson As Mad Max
The fly in the ointment of Mel Gibson returning as Max, of course, are the offensive statements and real-life controversies in Gibson’s personal life that derailed his career for close to a decade, and whether not only the Hollywood system but audiences would be prepared to forgive Gibson in order for him to make a Mad Max comeback.
However, the Apocalypto director would also hardly be the only Hollywood star to fall from grace and make a comeback, and he has even steadily been doing exactly that. Gibson’s villainous roles in The Expendables 3 and The Continental: From The World of John Wick showed he still possesses both the physicality and the screen presence for a Mad Max return.
Additionally, Gibson’s 2016 directorial return, Hacksaw Ridge, earned widespread acclaim and numerous Oscar nominations and is often cited as the point where Gibson was finally un-blacklisted in the industry. Hollywood stars have comeback from transgressions as bad as or far worse than Gibson’s, and if there’s one thing moviegoers universally love, it’s a redemption story for a fallen star.
With the Mad Max franchise on the ropes, Mel Gibson could bring it back to life in a full circle completion of his own redemption story – if he finds time between working on The Passion of the Christ 2, of course.
Tell us, would you like to see Mel Gibson return to the Mad Max franchise?
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga |
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The origin story of renegade warrior Furiosa before her encounter and teamup with Mad Max. |
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| Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Running Time: 148 minutes |
| Release Date: 23 May 2024 |
| Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, Alyla Browne |
| Director: George Miller |
| Writers: George Miller, Nico Lathouris |
| Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi |
| Box Office: $161.7 million |
