Mad Max
Official franchise logo since 2015
Created by
Original workMad Max (1979)
OwnerWarner Bros. Entertainment
George Miller
Years1979–present

Mad Max is an Australian post-apocalyptic and dystopian action film series and media franchise created by George Miller and Byron Kennedy. It began in 1979 with Mad Max, and was followed by three sequels: Mad Max 2 (1981, released in the United States as The Road Warrior), Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) and Mad Max: Fury Road (2015); Miller directed or co-directed all four films. Mel Gibson portrayed the titular character Max Rockatansky in the first three films, while Tom Hardy portrayed the character in Mad Max: Fury Road.

The series follows Max, initially a police officer in a future Australia which is experiencing societal collapse due to war, critical resource shortages, and ecocide.[1] When his wife and child are murdered by a vicious biker gang, Max kills the gang in revenge and becomes a drifting loner in the Australian Wasteland. As Australia devolves further into barbarity, Max finds himself increasingly more isolated yet still willing to help pockets of civilisation, initially for his own self-interest, though his motives always drift into more altruistic ones.

The series has been well received by critics; Mad Max 2 and Fury Road in particular have been ranked among the best action films ever made. The series has also had a significant influence on popular culture, most notably apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, and encompasses works in additional media including video games and comic books. In 2016, Fury Road became the first film of the Mad Max franchise to receive Academy Award recognition, winning six of its ten nominations.

North American rights to the original film are currently owned by Amazon's Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (via the libraries of Orion Pictures and American International Pictures).

Films

Film Release date Directed by Screenplay by Story by Produced by Status
Mad Max April 12, 1979 George Miller James McCausland and George Miller George Miller and Byron Kennedy Byron Kennedy Released
Mad Max 2 December 24, 1981 Terry Hayes & George Miller & Brian Hannant
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome July 10, 1985 George Miller and George Ogilvie Terry Hayes & George Miller George Miller
Mad Max: Fury Road May 15, 2015 George Miller George Miller and Brendan McCarthy and Nico Lathouris George Miller and Doug Mitchell and PJ Voeten
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga May 24, 2024 George Miller and Nico Lathouris George Miller and Doug Mitchell Post-production[2]
Mad Max: The Wasteland TBA In development

    Mad Max (1979)

    Mad Max is a 1979 Australian action film directed by George Miller. Written by Miller and James McCausland from a story by Miller and producer Byron Kennedy, set "a few years from now". It tells a story of societal breakdown, murder, and revenge. The film, starring the then little-known Mel Gibson, was released internationally in 1980. It became a top-grossing Australian film, while holding the record in the Guinness Book of Records for decades as the most profitable film ever created,[3] and has been credited for further opening the global market to Australian New Wave films.[4][5]

    Mad Max 2 (1981)

    Mad Max 2 (released as The Road Warrior in the United States) is a 1981 Australian post-apocalyptic action film directed by George Miller. This sequel to Miller's Mad Max was a worldwide box office success that further boosted the career of Mel Gibson. The film's tale of a community of settlers that moved to defend themselves against a roving band of marauders follows an archetypal "Western" frontier movie motif, as does Max's role as a hardened man who rediscovers his humanity. It also opens with a previously unexplained backstory on the tragic events that led to those in the original film.[6]

    Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

    Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome is a 1985 film, the third installment in the franchise. The film was directed by George Miller and George Ogilvie, and starred Mel Gibson and Tina Turner. The original music score was composed by Maurice Jarre. While Miller initially lost interest in the project after his friend and producer Byron Kennedy was killed in a helicopter crash, he later agreed to move forward with the assistance of Ogilvie.[7]

    Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

    Mad Max: Fury Road, the fourth film of the franchise,[8] is a 2015 post-apocalyptic action film co-written and directed by George Miller. While location scouting was reported to be underway in May 2009,[9] production was delayed until June 2012 due to unusually high levels of rain in the Australian desert which detracted from the post-apocalyptic feeling that Miller wanted. Shooting ultimately took place in Namibia the following year.[10] The film was released on 15 May 2015. It features British actor Tom Hardy as Mad Max and Charlize Theron as Imperator Furiosa. Gibson was originally attached to star in Fury Road during its failed 2003 production attempt.[11]

    Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)

    Miller and McCarthy found during the writing process for Mad Max: Fury Road that they had enough story material for two additional scripts.[12] In March 2020, it was announced that a spin-off film centered around Furiosa was in development with auditions via Skype, including Anya Taylor-Joy.[13] By May of the same year, the untitled prequel centered around Furiosa, was confirmed to be in active development. Miller explained that extensive backstories were created for the characters in Fury Road, and that with Furiosa an entire script was written. The filmmaker announced that the primary character will be recast. Though he had originally wanted to digitally de-age Theron to reprise the role, he decided against this after seeing The Irishman and deciding that technology has not yet overcome the uncanny valley. Colin Gibson and John Seale will return as production designer and cinematographer, respectively.[14] Chris Hemsworth and Tom Burke also star.[15] Filming began in June 2022[16][17] for a release date of May 24, 2024.[18] Filming officially wrapped on October 28, 2022.[2]

    Mad Max: The Wasteland (TBA)

    In March 2015, Hardy revealed that he was attached to star in three more Mad Max films, following Fury Road.[19] After the release of Fury Road, Miller announced that a sequel is in development, with the working title of Mad Max: The Wasteland.[20][21] By January 2016, and after misleading reports which stated that the franchise was over, Miller re-affirmed that he is working on follow up movies.[22] In July 2019, a question regarding unpaid earnings had to be resolved before moving forward with production which was resolved.[23]

    Cast and crew

    Cast

    List indicator(s)

    This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in the franchise.

    • An empty, dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
    •  A indicates an appearance through archival footage or audio.
    •  O indicates an older version of the character.
    •  Y indicates a younger version of the character.
    Characters
    Mad Max Mad Max 2 Mad Max
    Beyond Thunderdome    		 Mad Max:
    Fury Road    		 Furiosa:
    A Mad Max Saga    		 Mad Max
    (video game)
    1979 1981 1985 2015 2024 2015
    Max Rockatansky Mel Gibson Tom Hardy Bren Foster
    Benno Swaisey
    Broken Victim    		 Max Fairchild
    Jessie Rockatansky Joanne Samuel Joanne SamuelA
    Sprog Rockatansky Brendan Heath Brendan HeathA
    Gyro Captain Bruce Spence
    Jedediah the Pilot
    Imperator Furiosa Charlize Theron Anya Taylor-Joy
    Immortan Joe Hugh Keays-Byrne
    Glory the Child Coco Jack Gillies Madison Carlon
    Rictus Erectus Nathan Jones
    The Organic Mechanic Angus Sampson Fred Tatasciore
    Toecutter Hugh Keays-Byrne
    Jim "Goose" Rains Steve Bisley
    Bubba Zanetti Geoff Parry
    Johnny the Boy Tim Burns
    May Swaisey Sheila Florence
    Nightrider Vincent Gil
    The Humungus Kjell Nilsson
    Wez Vernon Wells
    The Feral Kid Emil MintyY Harold BaigentO
    Warrior Woman Virginia Hey
    Pappagallo Michael Preston
    Aunty Entity Tina Turner
    Savannah Nix Helen Buday
    Jedediah Jr. Adam Cockburn
    Pig Killer Robert Grubb
    Ironbar Bassey Angry Anderson
    Nux Nicholas Hoult
    Splendid Angharad Rosie Huntington-Whiteley
    Capable Riley Keough
    The Dag Abbey Lee
    Toast the Knowing Zoë Kravitz
    Cheedo the Fragile Courtney Eaton
    Slit Josh Helman
    The People Eater John Howard
    The Bullet Farmer Richard Carter
    The Doof Warrior iOTA
    The Valkyrie Megan Gale
    Keeper of the Seeds Melissa Jaffer
    Chumbucket Jason Spisak
    Scabrous Scrotus Travis Willingham

    The series' protagonist, Max Rockatansky, was portrayed through the first three films by Mel Gibson. Tom Hardy took over the role for 2015's Fury Road. The series features a few recurring cast members in different roles. Bruce Spence played different aviators in two of the films, first the Gyro Captain in Mad Max 2 and then Jedediah the Pilot in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.[24] Hugh Keays-Byrne has taken antagonist roles twice: he played Toecutter in Mad Max and Immortan Joe in Mad Max: Fury Road.[25] Max Fairchild appeared as Benno Swaisey in Mad Max and as "Broken Victim" of the Humungus's gang in Mad Max 2.[26]

    Additional crew and production details

    Film Crew/Detail
    Music composer Cinematographer Editor(s) Production
    companies    		 Distributing
    companies    		 Running time
    Mad Max Brian May David Eggby Tony Paterson & Cliff Hayes Kennedy Miller Productions,
    Crossroads    		 Roadshow Films,
    Warner Bros. Pictures    		 1hr 33mins
    Mad Max 2 Dean Semler David Stiven, Tim Wellburn & Michael Balson Kennedy Miller Productions 1hr 36mins
    Mad Max
    Beyond Thunderdome    		 Maurice Jarre Richard Francis-Bruce 1hr 47mins
    Mad Max:
    Fury Road    		 Junkie XL[27] John Seale Margaret Sixel Warner Bros. Pictures,
    Village Roadshow Pictures,
    Kennedy Miller Mitchell,
    RatPac-Dune Entertainment    		 2hrs
    Furiosa:
    A Mad Max Saga    		 Simon Duggan Village Roadshow Pictures,
    Kennedy Miller Mitchell
    Mad Max:
    The Wasteland    		 TBA TBA TBA Warner Bros. Pictures,
    Village Roadshow Pictures,
    Kennedy Miller Mitchell

    Reception

    Box office performance

    Film Release date Box office gross Budget Ref(s)
    Australia North America Other
    territories    		 Worldwide
    Mad Max 12 April 1979 A$5,355,490 $8,750,000 ~$91,250,000 ~$100,000,000 A$200,000 [28][29][30]
    Mad Max 2 24 December 1981 A$10,847,491 $23,667,907 $21,000,000R $36,000,000R A$4.5 million [28][31][32][33]
    Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome 10 July 1985 A$4,272,802 $36,230,219 $16,000,000R $52,000,000R A$12 million [28][34][35][32][33]
    Mad Max: Fury Road 15 May 2015 A$21,606,347 $154,109,060 $261,152,322 $415,261,382 US$150 million [36]
    Total A$36,547,536 $222,757,186 $37 millionR
    +$326 million    		 A$72 millionR
    +US$515 million    		 A$17 million
    +US$150 million
    List indicator(s)
    • A dark grey cell indicates the information is not available for the film.

    RDistributor rental

    Critical and public response

    Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic
    Mad Max 91% (64 reviews)[37] 73 (14 reviews)[38]
    Mad Max 2 94% (53 reviews)[39] 77 (15 reviews)[40]
    Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome 81% (54 reviews)[41] 71 (18 reviews)[42]
    Mad Max: Fury Road 97% (436 reviews)[43] 90 (51 reviews)[44]

    Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave Mad Max: Fury Road a grade "B+" on scale of A to F.[45]

    Music

    Soundtracks

    Title U.S. release date Length Composer(s) Label
    Mad Max: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack 30 April 1980 31:25 Brian May
    Mad Max 2: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack 11 January 1982 35:08 Brian May
    Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack August 1985 44:27 Maurice Jarre (score), Terry Britten/Graham Lyle/Holly Knight (songs)
    Mad Max: Fury Road (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) 12 May 2015 71:01 Tom Holkenborg a.k.a. Junkie XL WaterTower Music

    Tina Turner songs from Beyond Thunderdome

    Other media

    Merchandising

    Many licensed products are based on the Mad Max franchise. Products include novels, comic books, video games, and other materials.[46]

    Novels

    Novelizations of the first three films have also been published by QB Books. The first two novelisations were written by Terry Hayes, who ended up co-writing the script for the second film after getting along well with Miller.[47] A novelisation for the third film was written by Joan D. Vinge.[48]

    Video games

    Mad Max is a 1990 video game for the NES developed and published by Mindscape Inc. It is based on the film Mad Max 2. The object of the game is to survive life in the post-apocalyptic world by battling survivalists and collecting resources. Mindscape did develop another Mad Max game originally titled The Road Warrior for SNES and Sega Genesis, but due to Mindscape losing the license before completion they changed the title to Outlander to avoid legal issues. Outlander was released in 1992 for Sega Genesis and SNES.

    In September 2015, a game developed by Avalanche Studios based on the setting of Mad Max was released for Linux, OS X, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows and Xbox One. The titular character was voiced by Bren Foster.[49]

    Comic books

    Mad Max: Fury Road is a limited comic book series created by George Miller, Nico Lathouris, and Mark Sexton. Serving as a prequel to the 2015 film of the same name, the series focuses on several of the film's characters. It consists of four issues. Beginning in May 2015, Vertigo published one issue per month, ending in August. A single-volume collection of all of the issues was published on 26 August. Reception of the series has been mixed; some consider it unnecessary and poorly executed, and many harshly criticised the issue centred on Imperator Furiosa. However, the issue focused on Nux and Immortan Joe and the two issues focused on Max Rockatansky were received more positively.

    Other appearances

    • The trailer for the 2021 film Space Jam: A New Legacy revealed the film's inclusion of Mad Max characters among other Warner Bros. characters in crowd scenes.[50] In the actual film, in addition to characters being spectators, Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner appear in the Mad Max world doing their classic chase with Wile E. as a War Boy, before Bugs Bunny and LeBron James show up to get them both. Footage from Fury Road is featured with the duo edited into it.

    See also

    References

    1. ↑ Valls Oyarzun, Eduardo; Gualberto Valverde, Rebeca; Malla García, Noelia; Colom Jiménez, María; Cordero Sánchez, Rebeca, eds. (2020). "17". Avenging nature: the role of nature in modern and contemporary art and literature. Ecocritical theory and practice. Lanham Boulder NewYork London: Lexington Books. ISBN 978-1-7936-2144-3.
    2. 1 2 Glynn, Jennifer (28 October 2022). "Anya Taylor-Joy Wraps Filming on 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Prequel 'Furiosa'". Collider. Archived from the original on 7 November 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
    3. ↑ Lyttelton, Oliver. "5 Things You Might Not Know About 'Mad Max'". The Playlist. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
    4. ↑ Formica, Serena (1 April 2012). Peter Weir: A Creative Journey from Australia to Hollywood. Bristol: Intellect Ltd. p. 79. ISBN 9781841504773. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
    5. ↑ Conterio, Martyn (7 May 2015). "Mad Max: from the Ozploitation wilderness to the mainstream". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
    6. ↑ Leonard Maltin. Introduction by Leonard Maltin (Videotape). Warner Home Video. Archived from the original on 30 October 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
    7. ↑ Bibbiani, William (23 March 2015). "SXSW 2015 Interview: George Miller on Mad Max, 'Fury Road' and the Apocalypse". CraveOnline. p. 4. Archived from the original on 21 May 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
    8. ↑ Davis, Erik (14 May 2015). "Interview: Director George Miller Answers All Your Big 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Questions". Fandango. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
    9. ↑ "All revved up for Max's return". Herald Sun. 18 May 2009. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
    10. ↑ Steadman, Ian (5 March 2013). "Fragile Namibian deserts 'damaged' by Mad Max film crew". Wired UK. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
    11. ↑ Vaughan, Owen (13 June 2012). "Charlize Theron shaves it all off for Mad Max 4". News.com.au. Archived from the original on 15 August 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
    12. ↑ Turner, Brook (25 November 2011). "George Miller's new script". The Australian Financial Review. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
    13. ↑ Lang, Justin Kroll,Brent; Kroll, Justin; Lang, Brent (26 March 2020). "Hollywood's Biggest Movies Are Stuck in Limbo as Start Dates Remain Uncertain". Variety. Archived from the original on 26 March 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
    14. ↑ Buchanan, Kyle (14 May 2020). "Furiosa's Back: George Miller Discusses the Next 'Mad Max' Movie". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 15 May 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
    15. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (13 October 2020). "'Mad Max' Spinoff 'Furiosa' In The Works At Warners With George Miller Directing & Anya Taylor-Joy In Title Role; Chris Hemsworth & Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Along For Ride". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
    16. ↑ "Chris Hemsworth Marks The Start Of George Miller's Furiosa Shoot". Empire. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
    17. ↑ Talbot, Louise (19 January 2022). "Beyond Hollywood: NSW towns are stocking up as Mad Max prequel Furiosa is about to hit the road". The New Daily. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
    18. ↑ Rubin, Rebecca (23 December 2020). "Warner Bros. to Release 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Prequel and 'The Color Purple' Musical in Theaters in 2023". Variety. Archived from the original on 24 December 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
    19. ↑ Miranda Collinge (30 March 2015). "Tom Hardy Is Esquire's May Cover Star". Esquire. Archived from the original on 31 March 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
    20. ↑ McNary, Dave (18 May 2015). "George Miller Promises 'More Max,' Starting With 'Mad Max: The Wasteland'". Variety. Archived from the original on 19 May 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
    21. ↑ "No Furiosa in Mad Max Fury Road sequel". Digital Spy. 12 October 2015. Archived from the original on 14 November 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
    22. ↑ "Crisis Averted: George Miller Will Return for More 'Mad Max'". Collider. 14 January 2016. Archived from the original on 17 January 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
    23. ↑ "There are two new 'Mad Max' movies in the works according to director George Miller". NME. 26 July 2019. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
    24. ↑ "Returning to the road with Mad Max's original adventures". GamesRadar. 12 May 2015. Archived from the original on 14 May 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
    25. ↑ Guerrasio, Jason (12 May 2015). "How this actor ended up playing 2 different villains in the 'Mad Max' franchise 36 years apart". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 14 May 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
    26. ↑ "Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior Trivia". Fast-Rewind.com. Archived from the original on 26 March 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
    27. ↑ "Junkie XL Announces Return for Furiosa, Plus Justice League". March 2021.
    28. 1 2 3 "Film Victoria – Australian Films at the Australian Box Office" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 February 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
    29. ↑ "Mad Max (1980)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
    30. ↑ Haenni, Sabine; Barrow, Sarah; White, John, eds. (2014). "Mad Max (1979)". The Routledge Encyclopedia of Films. Routledge. pp. 323–326. ISBN 9781317682615.
    31. ↑ "The Road Warrior". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
    32. 1 2 "Foreign Vs. Domestic Rentals". Variety. 11 January 1989. p. 24.
    33. 1 2 "Australian Top Rentals". Variety. 2 May 1990. p. 234.
    34. ↑ "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Archived from the original on 21 June 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
    35. ↑ "Crack in the Net – Facts". Mad Maxed. Archived from the original on 24 August 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
    36. ↑ "Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Archived from the original on 7 June 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
    37. ↑ "Mad Max". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
    38. ↑ "Mad Max". Metacritic. CBS. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
    39. ↑ "Mad Max 2". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
    40. ↑ "The Road Warrior". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
    41. ↑ "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 22 March 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
    42. ↑ "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
    43. ↑ "Mad Max: Fury Road". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 3 November 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
    44. ↑ "Mad Max: Fury Road". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 19 November 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
    45. ↑ "CinemaScore". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
    46. ↑ "Mad Max Memorabilia". Archived from the original on 17 January 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
    47. ↑ Stratton, David (1990). The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry. Macmillan Publishers. p. 82. ISBN 0-73-2902509.
    48. ↑ Vieth, Errol; Moran, Albert (25 October 2005). Historical Dictionary of Australian and New Zealand Cinema. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 400.
    49. ↑ Goldfarb, Andrew (10 June 2013). "E3 2013: Mad Max Announced for PlayStation 4". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 16 March 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
    50. ↑ "'Space Jam' Sequel Trailer 'Clockwork' Droogs Cameo ... Pepe Remains Sidelined". TMZ. 3 April 2021. Archived from the original on 4 April 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
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