As George Miller’s “Furiosa” continues to struggle in theaters, having amassed just $63M domestically, and set for a rapid June 24 VOD date, it’s certainly looking as though we won’t be getting more ‘Mad Max’ movies in the near future. That is unless George Miller, who owns the rights to the characters, finds a streamer willing to finance him.
The one ‘Mad Max’ film that many fans have been demanding, for years now, is ‘The Wasteland,’ which is set a year before ‘Fury Road,’ and would star Tom Hardy in the lead role. In 2017, Miller was apparently in pre-production on ‘The Wasteland’ and even had Hardy signed up to do it … that is until Miller sued Warner Bros. for not paying him a contractually obliged bonus.
Regardless, in a lengthy Forbes profile, Hardy is shutting down any thought of ‘The Wasteland’ actually getting made. He straight up says, “I don’t think that’s happening.” One has to imagine different words coming out of Hardy’s mouth if “Furiosa” had been a success at the box office.
Last month, Miller gave us an update on ‘The Wasteland.’ In an interview conducted just a few days prior to “Furiosa” opening in theaters, via the Happy. Sad. Confused. podcast, the filmmaker confirmed that film’s existence would all depend on how well “Furiosa” did:
I’m still figuring out what to do with [‘The Wasteland’]. I’m just waiting to see the reception on ‘Furiosa.’ If it all lines up, then we’ll go ahead with it.
Miller’s comments now read as very bleak since I don’t even think he could foresee how terribly “Furiosa” would underperform.
‘The Wasteland’ is said to have “a lot of action” and would tackle Max’s journey with a young mother. Miller will either have to find way to severely cut the budget or it’s just never going to happen. I just can’t see Warner Bros. deciding to hop onboard another ‘Max’ movie this soon after the last one. I really do believe we’re done with this franchise.
As previously mentioned, Miller owns the rights to the Mad Max characters. They're his. So, while we might not witness any more films, we also won't be seeing any blatant cash grabs from Warner Bros.
Miller’s age is another factor to consider. He’s 79. The further “The Wasteland” gets delayed, the more unlikely he would have the stamina and willingness to embark on making the film, which, by all accounts, is a grueling experience to take on. The amount of detail to have to put into these movies is not like, say, John Huston, in his final years, directing a chamber piece sitting on a wheelchair with an oxygen tank ala 1987’s "The Dead."