Tom Hardy is no stranger to mega movie franchises, and he has the perfect potential replacement for his current box office smash movie series in the form ofMad Max 5. George Miller’s iconic post-apocalyptic movie series was revitalized in 2015 with the Academy Award-winning action filmMad Max: Fury Road, but afterstarring in that sequel alongside Charlize Theron, Tom Hardy was absentfrom the follow-up prequelFuriosa: A Mad Max Saga. Hardy could have the opportunity to return forMad Max 5and continue the story of Max Rockatansky while keeping the franchise moving forward.
WhileFuriosabrought the franchise backwards in theMad Maxtimeline,Mad Max 5should pick back up with Max Rockatansky after the events ofFury Road. Tom Hardy has enough star power to lead a franchise, particularly an action franchise, which he’s starred in before (The Dark Knight Rises). While theMad Maxfranchise has never been particularly profitable, it has a cult following. With one of his most profitable franchises coming to an end in the coming months, Hardy is due to dive into another movie series, and continuing theMad Maxfranchise is the perfect fit.
Hardy Has The Star Power To Drive A Franchise
The final chapter of Sony’s stand-aloneVenomfranchise will come to an end in fall 2024 with the release ofVenom: The Last Dance, and Hardy will be free to take on another franchise.Mad Max 5is the perfect replacement for theVenomfranchise in his filmography, and with a universe that has well-established lore but is also a veritable blank slate given the setting, it could go on far longer than justMad Max 5. Rumors even progressed to the point that a working title for Mad Max 5 was revealed:Mad Max: The Wasteland.
The Wastelandwas set to cover Max Rockatansky’s travelsin the year leading up to his encounter and capture by Immortan Joe’s soldiers. While it would have been another prequel toFury RoadlikeFuriosa, The Wasteland could have laid the groundwork for Max’s story to pick up after he disappears following the events ofFury Road.Fury Roadprovided some hints at what might have happened, butThe Wastelandcould tell that full story. That could open the door to furtherMad Maxadventures independent of Immortan Joe and Furiosa’s storylines.
One of the most incredible things aboutMad Max: Fury Roadis how well it was received by both critics and fans. The entire Mad Max franchise has a history of excellent critical scores, thanks largely to Miller’s incredible story-telling and film-making prowess. ButFury Roadshattered franchise records at the box office and registered the highestRotten TomatoesTomatometer score of the entire franchise. It generated a score of 97%, and actually had the highest score in 2015 when adjusted for number of reviews.
PerThe Numbers, Tom Hardy’s movies (either as a leading or supporting actor) have grossed over $5 billion total in his career.
Assuming thatMad Max 5matches, or at least comes close to the quality ofFury Road, it would probably wind up being Hardy’s best movie sinceFury Roaditself. TheVenomfranchise was extremely profitable at the box office, but none of the movies were hits with critics. SinceFury Road, Hardy has starred in a few very good movies, includingThe Bikeriders,The Revenant, andLondon Road, but none of those movies approached the Tomatometer score ofFury Road. The closest Hardy has come was in his starring role in Christopher Nolan’sDunkirk, which garnered a 92%.
Furiosa Was A Box Office Bomb, Casting Doubt On The Franchise’s Future
Unfortunately, despite outstanding critic and audience scores, the Mad Max prequel movieFuriosa: A Mad Max Sagawas an unquestionable flop at the box office. There areseveral reasons why Furiosa underperformed at the box office, and an optimist would conclude that many of those factors wouldn’t be present for the release of the nextMad Maxmovie. However, studios typically judge a movie’s sequel potential based on its profitability, and if that’s the case, thenFuriosamight have doomed the franchise to an early grave, or at the very least a lengthy hiatus.
1979
$8.75 million
90%
70%
1981
$4.5 million
$23.66 million
94%
86%
1985
$10 million
$36.2 million
79%
49%
2015
$185 million
$380.4 million
97%
2024
$168 million
$172.8 million
89%
Tom Hardy returning to the franchise as Max Rockatansky may be the magic bullet that saves its future, as one of the primary theories whyFuriosaunderperformed was that the character didn’t have the audience’s interest. Many believe that it was Charlize Theron’s performance inFury Roadthat drove Furiosa’s popularity, not her story. Recentering the franchise on Mad Max himself could be a major difference-maker for the male over 25 demographic, which is one of the primary drivers of the franchise’s box office totals.
George Miller Has Expressed His Interest In A Fifth Movie
George Miller has already expressed interest in a fifthMad Maxmovie, as evidenced by his early-stage development ofMad Max: The Wasteland. However, Miller was up front about waiting to see howFuriosaperformed before getting too far into the development process. If Furiosa’s box office was a determining factor,The Wastelandmay not actually be progressing forward. Tom Hardy himself essentially confirmed that to be the case in an interview withThe Hollywood Reporterthat he gave while promotingThe Bikeridersfollowing the release ofFuriosa.
Hardy was asked specifically aboutMad Max: The Wastelandand responded bluntly:
I don’t think that’s happening.
The Wastelandis what George Miller intended to be the next step in theMad Maxsaga, and if that’s not happening then Miller’s involvement in the franchise comes into question. However, Miller could certainly act as a producer on aMad Maxfilm that is made under the guidance of a new director, which could still work if Tom Hardy is attached to the project. Hardy’s star power along with the popularity of the Max Rockatansky character could not only keep theMad Maxfranchise alive, but carry it into an exciting new era.
Source:Rotten Tomatoes,The Hollywood Reporter,The Numbers
Mad Max
Mad Max is an Australian post-apocalyptic franchise created by George Miller and Byron Kennedy. The first three films star Mel Gibson as Max Rockatansky, a former police officer who seeks revenge after his family is murdered. Tom Hardy took over the role for 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, which was followed by Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga starring Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa.
