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Mad Max: The Beginning of the End…

madmax-mar29

It worked for one seemingly flagging sci-fi franchise, why not another?

Apparently, George Miller is taking a page from J.J. Abram’s revisionist book in hopes of rebooting the Aussie action saga he created with his Mad Max trilogy, soon to become a quartet.  It remains to be seen whether this latest “mad” installment will be prequel or sequel, but it is clear that while Miller intends to revive his old film cycle he has no intentions of doing the same for the career of Mr. Mel Gibson who helped make it a success in the first place.

Reports vary slightly on who will play Mad Max in the upcoming film, but they all confirm that it won’t be Mel, who originated the role.  Internet buzz has tipped native Australian Sam Worthington (Terminator Salvation; Avatar) for the role, but more recent intel suggests that the part of Max might go to Tom Hardy, a British actor who made an appearance in Star Trek: Nemesis, the last Trek film to hit theaters before Abrams tampered with the universe. Gossip has also linked Charlize Theron to Mad Max 4.

When Star Trek went younger, its box office draws totaled to an impressive $79 million on opening weekend, beating out all previous Star Trek film releases (taking inflation into account). Abrams pulled off the improbable, boosting a franchise’s profits while appeasing its notoriously nitpicky fan base.  Can Miller do the same for Max?  Will the franchise established fan base embrace a new lead?  Will the filmmakers leave Mel room to make a Nimoy-like cameo?  Just like the moral of any good post-apocalyptic story proposes… only time will tell.

[wpchatai]