Mel Gibson was once the face of theMad Maxfranchise, but inMad Max: Fury Road, he was replaced by Tom Hardy, and some fans may have wondered why. One of Mel Gibson’s earliest and most iconic characters was Max Rockatansky, the titular hero from theMad Maxfranchise. Gibson first started playing Max in the series' first film, in 1979. He would go on to play Max twice more, inMad Max 2: The Road Warriorand inMad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. For decades, Gibson was the face of Max, but it all changed in 2015.
Mad Max Movies In Order
There are multiple Mad Max movies that span several decades, and that creates different viewing options based on release and chronological orders.
WhenFury Roadwas released, Tom Hardy became the secondactor to play Max Rockatansky. That decision came as a bit of a surprise toMad Maxfans at the time, and it can still be a bit jarring to see Max’s face change completely betweenBeyond ThunderdomeandFury Road. Though it was a fairly significant change, theMad Maxfranchise never directly addressed it, and simply carried on as if Max had always looked the same. Behind the scenes, however, there were a few reasons why Mel Gibson didn’t play Max inFury Road.
The simplest reason Mel Gibson didn’t reprise the role of Max Rockatansky inFury Roadis because director George Miller didn’t want him to. Miller told theNew York Postthat there were two reasons he didn’t want Gibson anymore: Gibson was controversial, andFury Roadwasn’t about Max at an older age.
“By the time we got there, not only had Mel hit all the turbulence in his life, but this is not a ‘Mad Max’ in which he’s an old warrior. He’s meant to be that same contemporary warrior. I guess in the same way that James Bond had been played by various people, it was time to hand over the mantle.”
The “turbulence” in Gibson’s life that Miller referred to was a string of controversies up to 2010. Due to several controversies, at the time, no one wanted Gibson to be the lead actor in their movie, including George Miller. In addition to that, however, Miller also said that he wanted a younger person to “hand over the mantle” of Max to, likely because Max is supposed to be a legendary figure more than a realistic one.
Mel Gibson has somewhat recovered from his controversies and made his return to both acting and directing, but he likely won’t ever be in anotherMad Maxmovie.George Miller said that he has no plans to tell a story about Max in his old age, which would preclude Mel Gibson, who is in his late 60s, from taking on the role.
“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.”
On top of Gibson’s age, there’s another reason he likely won’t ever play Max again: there might not be anotherMad Maxfilm. AfterFuriosa: A Mad Max Saga’s disappointing box office earnings, the odds that Miller will get to continue the franchise seem especially slim due to financial concerns. Additionally, there is nonews about the planned sequelMad Max: The Wasteland, and now that Tom Hardy is approaching 50, he would also have to be recast. Even if there is a sequel toMad Max: Fury Road, Mel Gibson has almost surely already had his final moment as Max Rockatansky.
Mad Max: Fury Road
Cast
Mad Max: Fury Road is a post-apocalyptic film set in a desolate desert landscape where society has collapsed. Released in 2015, the story follows two rebels, Max Rockatansky and Imperator Furiosa, as they attempt to survive and bring balance to a world torn by chaos and strife.
