Mad Max Director's Mel Gibson Return Response Is A Huge Relief After 97% Rotten Tomatoes Classic

Summary George Miller has put an end to questions about Mel Gibson's return to the Mad Max franchise.

Miller has said he doesn't have a story for an older Max.

Mel Gibson's return as Max would be further complicated by his many real-life controversies.

The world of Mad Max continues to expand with the prequel Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, which has raised questions about Mel Gibson’s possible return to the franchise, but director George Miller has now given an answer that comes as a huge relief. Back in 1979, Miller brought the dystopian action film Mad Max, starring Mel Gibson as Max Rockatansky. Despite polarizing reactions from critics during its initial release, Mad Max was a huge box-office success, launching the careers of Miller and Gibson. Mad Max’s success also launched a franchise, which was revived in 2015 with Mad Max: Fury Road.

Mad Max sees a dystopian Australia facing a breakdown of civil order due to widespread oil shortages and ecocide. When a motorbike gang led by Toecutter (Hugh Keays-Byrne) arrives to vandalize properties, steal fuel, and terrorize the residents, police officer Max Rockatansky and his team do their best to stop them – but when it gets personal, Max turns into a vigilante driven by rage, earning the title of “Mad Max”. The franchise is now expanding with the world of Mad Max: Fury Road, and while there are questions about Gibson's possible return as Max, Miller has now put an end to them.

Related Mad Max Movies Ranked From Worst To Best With four films down and a spinoff coming, Max Rockatansky has had quite a few adventures. Here are all the Mad Max movies ranked from worst to best.

George Miller Isn't Planning On Another Mad Max Movie With Mel Gibson - And That's Good

The Mad Max Franchise Has Moved On From The Original Max

Miller explained he doesn’t have a story that features an older character, so there’s no room for Gibson’s return.

Mad Max: Fury Road revived the franchise after the release of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome in 1985, but Gibson wasn’t brought back as Max. Instead, Tom Hardy was cast as Max Rockatansky, but the story was mostly led by Charlize Theron’s Imperator Furiosa. In preparation for the prequel movie Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Miller was asked in an interview with Jake’s Takes about bringing Mel Gibson back in a Mad Max movie as an older version of his character. Miller explained he doesn’t have a story that features an older character, so there’s no room for Gibson’s return.

Miller shared he doesn’t know what happens to Gibson’s Max now that he’s older and hasn’t really thought of it, and instead, it’s more about thinking of the characters “around the time, about 40 or 50 years after the whole, sort of, collapse of society”. Miller putting an end to the rumors and questions about Gibson reprising his role as Max in the new Mad Max movies is actually good, as the franchise doesn’t really have room for Max Rockatansky anymore, especially an older version of him.

Bringing Gibson back as Max would play into the ongoing Hollywood nostalgia trope, but the Mad Max franchise has done an excellent job moving away from that.

Mad Max: Fury Road showed that the franchise can successfully move away from the character, as evidenced by Furiosa taking the lead and now starring in her own prequel (with a minor appearance from a younger Max). The franchise also doesn’t need an older Max, which was also proven by Fury Road, which opted for recasting the character and making him younger, which worked perfectly. Bringing Gibson back as Max would play into the ongoing Hollywood nostalgia trope, but the Mad Max franchise has done an excellent job moving away from that and, instead, expanding with fresh and exciting stories.

Related How Mel Gibson’s Mad Max Connects To Tom Hardy’s In Fury Road The Mad Max franchise tells a post-apocalyptic myth of its title character, but how exactly do the Mel Gibson and Tom Hardy versions connect?

Mel Gibson's Real-Life Controversies Make A Mad Max Return More Complicated

Mel Gibson’s Return As Max Wouldn’t Be Well-Received Now

Gibson has become a controversial actor over the years, but his erratic behavior and more aren’t new.

The Mad Max franchise no longer needs Mel Gibson’s Max, and even if it had room for him, his return would be complicated due to Gibson's real-life controversies. Gibson has become a controversial actor over the years, but his erratic behavior and more aren’t new. In 1991, he made derogatory comments about the LGBTQ+ community and defended his comments for a while after being accused of homophobia. In 2006, Gibson was arrested for DUI, during which he reacted violently against the arresting officer and made more offensive comments. Later, Gibson entered a recovery program to treat his substance use disorder.

In 2010, Gibson was recorded during a phone call with his then-partner in which he threatened her, and he later faced a domestic violence-related restraining order. As a result of all these controversies and more, Gibson was blacklisted for almost a decade, and though he has tried to rebuild his reputation, he hasn’t been able to make a full comeback. The Mad Max franchise doesn’t need Mel Gibson anymore, and it’s also avoiding major problems by not bringing him back.

Source: Jake's Takes.