George Miller's Mad Max trilogy was one of the most influential action series of the late 20th Century. Not only did it catapult the director – and the films' star, Mel Gibson – into the A list, but it also set the stage for many post-Apocalyptic action films
Now, twenty four years after Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome disappeared from theatres, Miller wants to resurrect the franchise as an anime-influenced 3-D animated feature film. And without Gibson.
Mad Max 4: 3-D Anime Without Mel Gibson
“We’ll probably go a different route,” Miller told MTV News about who would voice former highway patrolman Max Rockatansky in the new movie. Previous reports had suggested Miller thought the 53-year-old action star was too old and too interested in producing and directing through his Icon Pictures imprint to ever reprise the character.
Miller is no stranger to animation, having directed the Oscar-winning motion-capture movie Happy Feet in 2006. However, unlike that family-friendly film, the 4th Mad Max movie will try for a hard R rating.
“I see myself as someone who is very curious about storytelling and all its various media,” Miller said about the franchise's new direction. “I’ve always loved anime, in particular the Japanese sensibility. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do.”
He admitted that elements from the aborted 2003 sequel (tentatively titled Fury Road) would find its way into the sequel. That movie was set to begin production in Africa until fallout from the Iraq invasion scuttled the project.
It's not known if Brendan McCarthy (ReBoot, Skin), who wrote Fury Road, will return as scripter for the new film. But Miller is certainly a fan of the British writer's talents, having previously written off making another Mad Max movie before viewing the Fury Road screenplay.
In addition to the proposed anime, Miller is also collaborating on a possible Mad Max computer game with God of War II designer Cory Barlog.
“The anime is an opportunity for me to shift a little bit about what anime is doing because anime is ripe for an adjustment or sea change,” he explained. “It’s coming in games and I believe it’s the same in anime. There’s going to be a hybrid anime where it shifts more towards Western sensibilities. (Renowned Japanese filmmaker Akira) Kurosawa was able to bridge that gap between the Japanese sensibilities and the West and make those definitive films.”
But don't expect any Mad Max product before 2011.
“I’ve got a couple of years left,” Miller told MTV News. “We’re in the early stages writing and designing. A really good game, you need two and a half years. And, for good anime, you need two years."
Dominic von Riedemann - Dominic is the Animated Film Feature Writer, and winner of 11 Suite 101 Editors' Choice Awards.
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