The world is currently experiencing a surge of enthusiasm for the Mad Max franchise. Since its inception in 1979, this series has captivated audiences globally. The latest addition, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, diverges from tradition as the first official spinoff of the franchise, though it serves as a prequel to the acclaimed 2015 film Mad Max: Fury Road. These two films are intricately linked and are promoted as complementary pieces by their creator, George Miller.
The challenging aspect is understanding how the continuity of these new films fits with the original Mad Max trilogy. There is a three-decade gap between Fury Road and the third film, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985). This gap, combined with Hollywood’s trend of rebooting iconic franchises, has led fans to debate whether George Miller was creating a sequel or a complete reboot. The answer is more nuanced than one might expect.
Mad Max: Fury Road – A “Revisiting” of the Franchise
Tom Hardy in Mad Max: Fury Road Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
In short, Mad Max: Fury Road can be considered a reboot. It disregards the continuity of the first three films and adopts a unique approach. Technically, however, the answer is no. Initially, George Miller intended to align the events of Fury Road with Mad Max, The Road Warrior (1982), and Thunderdome. In the late 1980s, an early version of Fury Road was conceived to bring back original star Mel Gibson and continue the established story. However, as time passed, maintaining this continuity became increasingly difficult.
Miller entered the 2000s with plans to reunite with Gibson for Fury Road as the fourth installment. By 2006, he began rethinking this approach. In a 2015 interview with Time Out Magazine, Miller explained that as Gibson aged, it became harder to continue the story in its existing form. Miller didn’t want to create a “final chapter” but rather a continuing adventure, similar to the James Bond series. He explained:
“Really, it was more that we were getting to the point where this wasn’t Unforgiven—it wasn’t about an old road warrior. So I began looking for someone to play Max, in the same way they kept on looking for new James Bonds.”
Recasting Gibson with Tom Hardy allowed Miller to essentially reset the franchise. He noted that the original trilogy already had loose continuity, as the events of each story rarely impacted Max’s ongoing adventures and appearance.
George Miller’s New Mad Max Films Emphasize Continuity
A still of Tom Hardy glancing upwards surrounded by extras in the ‘Max Max: Fury Road’ film Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
Miller’s claim that the original trilogy had loose continuity is underscored by the emphasis he places on continuity in the new Mad Max films. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and Mad Max: Fury Road are designed to be understood together, with the former incomplete without the latter’s resolution. Miller is so dedicated to this iteration of the franchise that he is already planning the next installment, Mad Max: The Wasteland.
This upcoming film is intended to take place between Furiosa and Fury Road, featuring Max joining forces with a young mother in the titular wasteland. Tom Hardy will reprise his role as Max, further solidifying the continuity of these three films, making them a self-contained trilogy within the broader franchise.
However, the future of Mad Max: The Wasteland hinges on the box office success of Furiosa. “I’ll definitely wait to see how this [Furiosa] goes, before we even think about it,” Miller remarked at the film’s premiere. Despite Furiosa’s underwhelming opening weekend, if Miller gets the chance to return to his iconic series, it will explicitly connect to the ongoing story.