Summary

• George Miller currently rules out Mel Gibson's return as an older Max in future Mad Max movies, prioritizing the evolution of other characters like Furiosa instead.
• Gibson's return as Max is not a creative priority for Miller, who plans to focus on another prequel to Fury Road before Max's future.
• The upcoming Furiosa movie features a cameo by New Zealand actor Jacob Tomuri as Max.

Mad Max creator George Miller gives his views on the possibility of original star Mel Gibson returning to the franchise. Gibson starred as the titular vengeful biker in the 1979 cult dystopian action movie Mad Max and reprised his role in 1981's Mad Max II and 1985's Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. Thirty years later, Miller revived the franchise with Mad Max: Fury Road, which starred Tom Hardy in the role of Max, and the character is confirmed to have a "blink-and-you'll-miss-it" cameo in the upcoming spinoff, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, fueling speculation of another movie.

It has been confirmed that New Zealand actor and stunt double Jacob Tomuri will become the third actor to portray Max when he cameos in Furiosa.

In an interview with Jake's Takes, Miller was asked whether Gibson could return in a possible Mad Max movie with the older version of his titular character. The franchise creator ruled out a return for the Lethal Weapon star, stating that he wasn't interested in exploring stories about an older Max. Check out Miller's full comments:

“There’s no story that I have that has an older character, like, y’know, a Harrison Ford, or so on. It’s not... it happened even on Fury Road. At a certain point, it’s not like an Unforgiven, or one of those movies, where it’s really an old, burnt out person coming back one more time. It’s very much... I mean, there probably are stories to tell...

I don’t know what happens to Max when he gets into his 60s, or something like that. I haven’t even thought of that. I’m much more thinking of the characters around the time, about 40 or 50 years after the whole, sort of, collapse of society.”

How The Character Of Max Can Evolve Even Without A Gibson Return?

Miller Shared A Plan To Make Another Mad Max Movie That Takes Place Before Fury Road.

While Miller's comments do not definitively rule out a return for Gibson, it isn't a creative priority.

Furiosa's planned Max cameo is a clever move by Miller, as it allows a connection to the original legacy. It also allows the prequel film to stand on its own to focus on the character of Furiosa and her origin story. It also sets the scene for Max to show up in other installments, with Miller keen to ensure the character can evolve without Gibson's comeback. Furthermore, it may not be the right time for Gibson to return, given that the director has other plans for the franchise.

While Miller's comments do not definitively rule out a return for Gibson, it isn't a creative priority. While making Fury Road, the director revealed that he wrote a story about Max's journey the year before meeting Furiosa and Immortan Joe's wives. It appears that the entry could be the next Mad Max movie that Miller wants to make, with the director hoping it happens in the future. As such, it is probably the best move for the franchise since the character had been recast with Hardy in Fury Road. It's unclear whether Hardy would be expected to return if that movie goes into development.

Each Mad Max movie has changed the title character, and this evolution has allowed Miller to cast different actors and change the course of his story. While it is unlikely that viewers will ever get to see Gibson in the Mad Max franchise again, the return of many legacy actors to decades-old franchises has become far more common in recent years, so it's not something that can be definitively ruled out.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga will hit theaters on May 24.

Source: Jake's Takes