Is George Miller Done with Mad Max Movies?

Given how long it tookMad Max: Fury Roadto get to the big screen, it could almost be considered a miracle that it arrived at all, let alone became the best-reviewed movie of 2015. The post-apocalyptic adventure is riding a wave of Oscar buzz going into the nominations announced later this week, with many fans wondering when a follow-up might happen. DirectorGeorge Millerhas said numerous times that he wants to make a smaller film before revisiting this big-budget landscape, even hinting last week about making aFuriosaorigin movie after this unspecified smaller film andMad Max 5. Today, however, we have a new report fromPage Six, where the director now says he’s done with the entire franchise.

“I won’t make moreMad Maxmovies.Fury Roadwas forever getting completed. If you finish one in a year, it’s considered a leap of faith. Start, stop, start again. I’ve shot in Australia in a field of wild flowers and flat red earth when it rained heavily forever. We had to wait 18 months and every return to the US was 27 hours. Those Mad Maxes take forever. I won’t do those anymore.”

The director’s comments are a rather stark reversal from his previous stance, where he has always said he wants to return to this apocalyptic landscape after he makes a smaller film that is less demanding. Since it took roughly 15 years to getMad Max: Fury Roadoff the ground, it’s certainly possible that the 70-year-old director changed his mind, but we know he does have two scripts completed for potential sequels, which he wrote during the production delays onMad Max: Fury Road. During another interview withStudio 360, the filmmaker said that he would like to revisit this world again, while also hinting that he could pass the franchise off to a younger director.

“What happened to Max after Fury Road? What happened before Fury Road? What happened to the othercharacters? Those stories are there - probably not as the next film but the film after. I’d like to do one of them. We’ll see. AsJohn Lennonsaid, life is what happens when you’re making other plans. There are so many other directors out there. People are directing younger and younger. They’re getting a real sense of cinema very, very early. There are some great directors out there.”

Mad Max: Fury Roadoriginally took shape in the early 2000s, whenMel Gibsonwas still being eyed to come back asMax Rockatanskyfrom the first three movies,Mad Max,Mad Max 2: The Road Warriorand Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. When the project was reworked withTom Hardyas Max andCharlize Theronas Furiosa, it took a whopping three years to complete production. What do you think aboutGeorge Miller’s comments on leaving the franchise he built?