The smart money was on Mad Max: Fury Road getting a sequel thanks to the way it performed this summer, and of course, it looks like that second trip is going to happen. Details, however, are a little short at the moment, apparently because there are actually two competing Mad Max scripts and no one is quite sure exactly which one will get made, including director George Miller.
The visionary filmmaker has been quite open about his desire to return to the wasteland again, but given the arduous film shoot (8 months) and the giant budget ($150 million), no one was quite sure when or if more movies would happen. If George Miller himself is to be believed, however, two more movies are happening but not for awhile-ish. Here’s what he told Top Gear…
"So we ended up with two scripts, without really trying. We’re talking to the studio about it as we speak, but which one of the two stories will happen next, I’m not so sure. I want to do a small film without special effects before I do any of that, just to do it quickly. We shot Fury Road for eight months… that’s a lot. Every day in the heat and the dust, doing these stunts, it’s very wearing. We’ve got two more planned, but at some point in the future."
By the time 2015 is over, there will be plenty of movies that made more money than Mad Max: Fury Road, but a strong case could be made that no film will have overperformed quite like the instant George Miller classic. With almost $400 million in worldwide grosses, almost euphoric film reviews and heaps of fan enthusiasm, it was a complete and utter success on basically every single level. Consequently, it would have been weird if the sequel didn’t happen, but exactly what the next one will be about is anyone’s guess.
Part of the reason why Fury Road worked so well is because Max is arguably not the main character of the movie. Charlize Theron’s Imperator Furiosa pushes the action forward, and she’s the one most people left the theater thinking about. Well, her and one of the weirdest villains in the history of movies: Immortan Joe. As such, the sequel could spin out in a number of fascinating directions, from sequels to prequels to reimaginations. The movie made enough money and was well-received enough that George Miller will have almost complete creative control. So, if he wants to get even weirder, both the studio and the fans will follow him there.
Considering what an arduous process making Fury Road was, I wouldn’t expect whatever the next film is to come out for at least three or four years. Here’s to hoping that break will be well spent and the special effects will be mind-blowing again.
