Mel Gibson was once the face of the Mad Max Franchise, but in Mad Max: Fury RoadHe was replaced by Tom Hardy, and some fans may have wondered why. One of Mel Gibson’s earliest and most iconic characters was Max Rokkatansky, the titular hero of the Mad Max Franchise. Gibson first began playing Max in the first film of the series, in 1979. He would go on to play Max twice more, in Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior and in Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. For decades, Gibson was the face of Max, but that all changed in 2015.
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when fury way was released, Tom Hardy became the second actor to play Max Rokkatansky. The decision was a bit of a surprise Mad Max fans at the time, and it can still be a little jarring to see Max’s face change completely in between Beyond Thunderdome And fury way. Although it was quite a significant change, the Mad Max Franchise never directed it, and simply carried on as if Max had always looked the same. Behind the scenes, however, there were several reasons why Mel Gibson did not play Max in fury way.
By the time Fury Road happened, Mel Gibson was no longer Miller’s actor for the role
The simplest reason Mel Gibson did not reprise the role of Max Rokkatansky in fury way Is because the director George Miller did not want him to. Miller tells the New York Post that there were two reasons he didn’t want Gibson anymore: Gibson was controversial, and fury way Wasn’t about Max at an older age.
“By the time we’re there, Mel has not only hit all the turbulence in his life, but it’s not a ‘Mad Max’ where he’s an old warrior. He’s meant to be the same modern-day warrior. I guess That in the same way that James Bond was played by various people, it was time to pass on the mantle.
the “Turbulence“In Gibson’s life that Miller referenced, there was a string of controversies until 2010. Due to some controversies, at that time no one wanted Gibson to be the lead actor in their movie, including George Miller. In addition, but , Miller also said he wanted a younger man to “Hand over the coat” from Max to, likely because Max is supposed to be a legendary figure more than a realistic one.
George Miller still has no plans for another Mel Gibson-led Mad Max movie
Mel Gibson has somewhat recovered from his controversies and returned to acting and directing, but he will probably never be in another. Mad Max Movie. George Miller has said he has no plans to tell a story about Max at his age, which would rule out Mel Gibson, who is in his late 60s, from taking on the role.
“There’s no story where I have an older character, like, you know, a Harrison Ford, or something like that. It’s not … it even happened on Fury Road. At a certain point, it’s not like an unforgivable, Or one of those movies, where it’s really an old, burned out person who comes back one more time… I mean, there are probably stories to tell…
I don’t know what happens to Max when he gets into his 60s, or anything like that. I didn’t even think about it. I think a lot more about the characters around that time, about 40 or 50 years after the whole, sort of, collapse of society.
On top of Gibson’s age, there’s another reason he’ll probably never play Max again: There can’t be another reason. Mad Max Film. Still Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga‘s disappointing box office earnings, the odds that Miller will get to continue the franchise seem particularly slim due to financial concerns. In addition, there is no news about the planned sequel Mad Max: The WastelandAnd now that Tom Hardy is approaching 50, he too would be recast. Even if there is a sequel to Mad Max: Fury RoadMel Gibson almost certainly had his final moment as Max Rokkatansky.
Sources: New York Post, Variety