Mad Max 4 - Fury Road
News Archive - 1998 to 2000

This is an archive of OLD rumours. Much of this information is now outdated, or has proven to be incorrect. If you want the up to date news, then you should check the current news page.

 

June 2000

The following report is originally from IGN Movies, http://ignmovies.com. I believe the version below was taken from www.cinescape.com.

Gibson Talks 'Max 4'

Mel Gibson is finally, sorta, talking about what's up with the potential fourth Mad Max movie. While talking to IGN Movies, Gibson revealed what he knew about the project at this point, saying, "George [Miller] is working on something. George is like Einstein. I'm serious, he's like Albert Einstein. George Miller makes films like that. It's all mathematical. He has five sets of the same clothes. He's probably still got the white shirt, the blue pants, and the blue and white polka dot tie. Five sets so he doesn't have to make a decision about what to wear, but that it's clean every day. He will literally sit there and brood over a problem for years. Take his time. And be interested the whole time, like Einstein. I think he's probably been working away on the script for twenty years."

In spite of that all-over-the-road answer about Max's film return, Gibson did add, "He'll be back."

 

I've been unable to locate the original article at IGN Movies, however, versions of the article can still be found online at scifi.com, http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-film.html?2000-06/13/12.30.film, and at Empire Online (UK), http://www.empireonline.co.uk/news/news.asp?2313.

August 1999

It's mid August 1999, and all of a sudden the stories have been flooding through confirming that Mad Max 4 is going ahead, and Mel will be involved. I guess only time will tell if the articles are true and the movie goes ahead, but at least at the moment some of the more reliable agencies are publishing this story, which adds a lot more weight to its authenticity. 

NB. Where possible, articles are captured below for your convenience once outdated on their original host sites. Most of the sites that carry periodical news only do so while it is current, and the news is discarded from those sites within a week or two.

August 1999

 

Sydney Daily Telegraph, August 16, 1999

Mad Max 4 - Sydney Daily Telegraph, 16 August, 1999

 

June 1999

  • CNN's entertainment reporter interviewed George Miller (briefly, about the Sydney film festival) on Monday, and loses major points for cutting off George Miller before letting him comment on Mad Max 4. The reporter brought up the topic, George looked like he was about to make a comment, and the reporter continued, cutting off George, saying something about "but we won't talk about that". Well, if he was going to bring it up, he could have at least let him comment, even if all Dr George had to say at this point was "no comment".
  • A few people have reported hearing a rumour that was stated on Triple M's "butt scuttling". Basically, the rumour stated was that this guy apparently "knows a camera man who has been hired to work on Mad Max 4, and they would start filming January next year, with no Mel". So, in essence he didn't say much different to the rumours already floating around, he just tried to make them sound more solid. Your guess is as good as mine as to whether or not the call was genuine.

May 1999

  • George Miller has confirmed that the script is ready, and shooting will start next year. Check out the full article, from USA Today, May 13th, sent to me by Chad Maggio.
  • The same story is confirmed at www.cinescape.com in their May 14th news, although they make it sound certain that Mel Gibson won't be involved. Thanks to Carlos Pina for this info.
  • And another confirmation of the story, this time at http://www.dailysci-fi.com/news/1517.html. Thanks to Jason Smith for this info. (Hmm, that picture looks familiar, I wonder where they got it from?)

 

George Miller confirms Mad Max 4

Mad Max 4 - USA Today, Page 3, 13 May 1999
From USA Today, May 13th 1999, in the Life section, page 3.

 

April 1999

  • Heath Ledger has been confirmed to star as Mel Gibson's son - but NOT for Mad Max 4. It's for another film, The Patriot.
  • Someone mentioned hearing an interview with a script writer on JJJ, where he mentioned working on rewrites for Mad Max 4. Anyone know more info, or if this is for real?

March 1999

  • Another Mad Max 4 rumour has been posted at www.darkhorizons.com, check out the news & rumours page, March 1st. I'll post the info locally if / when it has disappeared from Dark Horizon's page. (Thanks to Chris Tsorotes once more!)
  • Jump here for an article from the Sydney Morning Herald (same old rumours, nothing new).

February 1999

 

Future Not Bright For '451'

One would think that Mel Gibson might be on top of the world, with box-office success of Payback and all, but it seems the star still can't get his Fahrenheit 451 project moving forward.

"There's a million reasons why you can't get something off the ground," Gibson told Eon magazine. "I just got involved with something six years ago called The Million Dollar Hotel. I looked at a script and Bono the U2 guy and Nicholas Kline had this story and they worked it up and gave it to me. It was pretty good. It's kind of romantic but weird and it never quite came together. The director want too much money and all the elements weren't there. The time was out of joint, but now we are going to start working on that. Wim Wenders is the new director and we're starting next month. So it's now been six years and all of a sudden now the script clicks in. It just gets right. The same thing is going to happen with Fahrenheit I think. The time is out of joint."

Surprisingly, Gibson also revealed that he'd consider returning to the role that made him famous in George Miller's planned Mad Max 4. "I would do it but it depends," he told the e-zine, warning, however, that the director might be joking about his reported interest in the project. "George makes press releases like that to piss Warner Bros. off. I did like his pig movie though. That monkey looked like Keith Richards. I loved it."

(February, 1999)

December 1998

  • During a newspaper interview, Bruce Spence mentioned that he had not committed to continue his current stage role in 1999, due to a possible conflicting film commitment. The reporter immediately concluded that this means MM4, although there wasn't exactly anything said to back this up - Bruce wouldn't name the film. Bear in mind that they're making the new Star Wars films out here as well - Mr Spence wouldn't exactly be naming those either.

October 19th, 1998

Triple M Radio in Melbourne reported through their Hollywood reporter, The Poorman, a new rumour about Mad Max IV. They said the following to the listeners; "Mel Gibson is reportedly interested in doing a Mad Max IV and apparently gave Tina Turner a phone call to see if she would be interested in reprising her role in the fourth installment. No contracts have been signed yet by Gibson or Turner. It is reported that Warner Bros. are going to pay Gibson $20 million to reprise his roll as Max".

 

Note: Yes, I know the above blurb mentions Warner Brothers, and the rest of them mentioned Universal - it's not my fault that these "Hollywood Insiders" can't get the facts right - one of them has to be wrong!

(October 19th, 1998)

 

September 10th, 1998

  • Article (below): Variety, by Benedict Carver and Dan Cox - local copy
  • Article (below): Yahoo daily news - article 1 (Variety), article 2 (Variety front page), article 3 (Variety digest).
  • Article (below): Cinescape Insider - local copy
  • Article (below): "Mr Showbiz" article - local copy

 

Variety article

By Benedict Carver and Dan Cox

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - ``Mad Max'' is revving up his motorcycle at Universal
Pictures.

The studio plans to release a fourth installment of the action-adventure
series in time for a major summer release in either 2001 or 2002. But whether
Mel Gibson will return as the post-apocalyptic gunslinger battling violent car
and motorcycle gangs is another matter.

The actor, who was paid $15,000 for the first ``Max'' in 1979, now commands
$20 million per picture, plus a sizable portion of the profits. Gibson, who
did appear this summer in a fourth ``Lethal Weapon,'' has not been approached
to star in the new ``Max,'' his representatives said.

The first three ``Max'' pictures -- ``Mad Max,'' ``The Road Warrior'' (1981)
and ``Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome'' (1985) -- were shot in Australia on
relatively low budgets. While the first picture was made for under $1 million,
and the second for around $4 million, the third, which co-starred Tina Turner,
cost about $12 million. It grossed $36.2 million in the U.S.

The style and subject matter of ``Mad Max'' was hugely influential in
Hollywood, inspiring Universal's own stab at the genre, ``Waterworld,'' along
with numerous other entries.

``Mad Max IV'' will be produced and directed by George Miller, the Australian
film-maker behind Universal's ``Babe'' franchise. Miller co-wrote ``Mad Max''
with James McCausland, ``Warrior'' with Terry Hayes and Brian Hannant, and
``Thunderdome'' with Hayes. He directed the first two pictures and co-directed
``Thunderdome'' with George Ogilvie.

It would be his next film as director, following ``Babe Pig in the City,''
which the studio is releasing in November.

Miller, whose Kennedy/Miller Prods. banner produced each ``Mad Max'' film,
licensed North American rights to the first three to Warner Bros. It was
unclear Wednesday why Warner had given up its rights to the franchise.

Sources indicated that Miller, who also will produce the fourth ``Max'' via
Kennedy/Miller, expects to film it in Australia. He has written a story for
the picture and will oversee development of a script, but will not necessarily
write it himself.

Neither Miller, Universal nor Warner Bros. would comment.

Reuters/Variety

0758 09-10-98

 

(September 10th, 1998)

Cinescape Insider

September 10, 1998
1:15 PM CST

'Mad Max 4' Is Coming
Universal Pictures has signed a deal with director George Miller to helm a fourth film featuring his creation Mad Max, according to Variety. Universal tells the trade that Miller will produce and direct the film after he finishes up work on Babe: Pig in the City. Word has it that Miller has written a story for the film and will oversee development of a script with eventual shooting likely to take place in Australia. There’s no word as yet on whether or not Mel Gibson will participate, though it wouldn’t be a Mad Max film without the actor in the title role. Universal is hoping to release the film as their "event" picture of either 2001 or 2002. The latter year would put it in competition with the tentative release date for Star Wars: Episode Two.

(September 10th, 1998)

Mr Showbiz article

Thursday, September 10, 1998 1132 AM

Don't ever tell Hollywood that we don't need another hero, especially one
that has name recognition at the box office. Daily Variety reports that a
fourth installment of the Mad Max franchise is in the works.

George Miller, who helmed and produced the first three Mel Gibson
actioners—Mad Max (1979), Road Warrior (1981), and Mad Max Beyond
Thunderdome (1985)—has sealed a deal with Universal Pictures to produce and
direct Mad Max IV.

No word on whether Gibson, who shot to stardom as the leather-clad loner in
the Australian postapocalyptic action pic trilogy, will once again fight
the good fight. The star's reps tells Variety that he hasn't even been
approached about the film.

The A-lister, who received only $15,000 to headline the first Mad Max,
currently earns about $20 million per picture, plus a hefty portion of the
backend. For a little perspective, the first Mad Max installment cost less
than $1 million, the second about $4 million, and the third around $12
million.

Miller, who also hit big with the less-violent Babe (the sequel is due out
in November), will reportedly once again lens the pic Down Under, and has
already come up with a story, although he probably won't pen the script. No
word on a start date, but Variety says Universal wants it ready for a
summer release in either 2001 or 2002.

Of course, Gibson, 42, may very well be sequeled out. The actor burned up
the box office this summer in the fourth installment of the Lethal Weapon
franchise, and he says he's not waiting around for No. 5.

"I'm sure somebody is cooking on that but not me," Gibson tells the London
Times. "I mean, how old could these two guys be? It would be like senior
citizens' action movies. But, hey, maybe there's a whole new market for
that."

(September 10th, 1998)

If you're interested in the older rumours, you might also want to check the pre-1998 rumours page.

 

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