George Miller admits that he still doesn’t know ifMad Max: The Wastelandwill ever be made. After returning to theMad Maxfranchise after a 30-year hiatus with 2015’sMad Max:Fury Road, Miller decided not to focus the next movie in the franchise on the titular road warrior. Instead, 2024’sFuriosafollows a younger version of Charlize Theron’s character inFury Road, with Anya Taylor-Joy stepping into the role. Even thoughreviews forFuriosawere fantastic, the movie bombed at the box office, which is why the status ofMad Max: The Wastelandhas been uncertain for almost a year.
In an interview withVulture,Miller claims that despite having a script forMad Max: The Wasteland, he doesn’t know if he’ll ever get the chance to make the movie. He admits that a sixthMad Maxfilm is not the project he wants to work on yet as he has other stories in mind, but still views it as a potential story he wants to tell down the line. While Miller is unsure that the film will ever be made, it is still a project he is interested in if “the planets align.” Read Miller’s full comments below:
We’ve got another script. But having been doing this long enough where I’m habituated to storytelling, I find myself with way too many stories — not only in my head, but in the form of screenplays or at least very detailed notes that are within reach of screenplays. I’m a professional daydreamer, really. This was seen as my big deficit as a kid: ‘George would do better at school if he didn’t daydream so much’ was on my report card.
So, there’s lots of stories. Indeed, one of them is a Mad Max. It is not something I would do next, because there’s two things I’m keen to do next. But if for whatever reason the planets align, you may never tell. Too often, you’re lining up to do a movie and then something happens. Some things fall into place and some don’t, so all I can say is we’ll see.
Not many details are known about Miller’s idea forMad Max: The Wasteland, but it has been revealed that it would be set about a year before the events ofFury Road. Years beforeFuriosabombed at the box office,Mad Max: Fury Roadwas a critical and commercial success. The fourthMad Maxfilm was even nominated for Best Picture at the 2016 Academy Awards. SinceMiller has been working on the script forThe Wastelandfor many years, it would have been much easier to get the project greenlit after the release ofFury Road.
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Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)
However, Miller was clearly more passionate about telling another story in theMad Maxfranchise. After directing fourMad Maxmoviesthat followed Max Rockatansky,Miller wanted to change gears and center a story on Furiosa, a character who eventually becomes the leader of the Citadel. Despite its underwhelming performance at the box office,Furiosawas arguably one of the best movies of 2024. However, since it was not a commercial success, it currently seems unlikely thatMad Max: The Wastelandwill get greenlit.
Based on his comments,it doesn’t seem like Miller is in a rush to makeMad Max: The Wasteland. This is somewhat disappointing, since I desperately want another movie in the long-running franchise. Even though Miller seems uncertain aboutThe Wastelandever being made, it is good that he is not fully closed off to the idea. Even thoughFuriosadid not perform well at the box office, it has been a massive success on streaming. Therefore, I hopeMad Max: The Wastelandcan still get made in the coming years.
