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 of Mad Max 5. George Miller’s iconic post-apocalyptic movie series was revitalized in 2015 with the Academy Award-winning action film Mad Max: Fury Road, but after starring in that sequel alongside Charlize Theron, Tom Hardy was absent from the follow-up prequel Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Hardy could have the opportunity to return for Mad Max 5 and continue the story of Max Rockatansky while keeping the franchise moving forward.
While Furiosa brought the franchise backwards in the Mad Max timeline, Mad Max 5 should pick back up with Max Rockatansky after the events of Fury 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 the Mad Max franchise 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 the Mad Max franchise is the perfect fit.
Mad Max 5 Would Give Tom Hardy A Great Franchise Again After Venom Ends
Hardy Has The Star Power To Drive A Franchise
The final chapter of Sony’s stand-alone Venom franchise will come to an end in fall 2024 with the release of Venom: The Last Dance, and Hardy will be free to take on another franchise. Mad Max 5 is the perfect replacement for the Venom franchise 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 just Mad Max 5. Rumors even progressed to the point that a working title for Mad Max 5 was revealed: Mad Max: The Wasteland.
The Wasteland was set to cover Max Rockatansky’s travels in the year leading up to his encounter and capture by Immortan Joe’s soldiers. While it would have been another prequel to Fury Road like Furiosa, The Wasteland could have laid the groundwork for Max’s story to pick up after he disappears following the events of Fury Road. Fury Road provided some hints at what might have happened, but The Wasteland could tell that full story. That could open the door to further Mad Max adventures independent of Immortan Joe and Furiosa’s storylines.
Mad Max 5 Would Likely Be Tom Hardy’s Best Movie Since Fury Road
Hardy’s Only Had One Recent Movie Come Close To Fury Road‘s Critical Reception
One of the most incredible things about Mad Max: Fury Road is 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. But Fury Road shattered franchise records at the box office and registered the highest Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer 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.
Per
The Numbers
, Tom Hardy’s movies (either as a leading or supporting actor) have grossed over $5 billion total in his career.
Assuming that Mad Max 5 matches, or at least comes close to the quality of Fury Road, it would probably wind up being Hardy’s best movie since Fury Road itself. The Venom franchise was extremely profitable at the box office, but none of the movies were hits with critics. Since Fury Road, Hardy has starred in a few very good movies, including The Bikeriders, The Revenant, and London Road, but none of those movies approached the Tomatometer score of Fury Road. The closest Hardy has come was in his starring role in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, which garnered a 92%.
Tom Hardy Returning Would Be The Best Way To Save Mad Max’s Future
Furiosa Was A Box Office Bomb, Casting Doubt On The Franchise’s Future
Unfortunately, despite outstanding critic and audience scores, the Mad Max prequel movie Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga was an unquestionable flop at the box office. There are several 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 next Mad Max movie. However, studios typically judge a movie’s sequel potential based on its profitability, and if that’s the case, then Furiosa might have doomed the franchise to an early grave, or at the very least a lengthy hiatus.
|
Mad Max Franchise Key Details |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Movie |
Release Date |
Budget |
Box Office Gross |
RT Tomatometer Score |
RT Popcornmeter Score |
|
Mad Max |
1979 |
$400K |
$8.75 million |
90% |
70% |
|
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior |
1981 |
$4.5 million |
$23.66 million |
94% |
86% |
|
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome |
1985 |
$10 million |
$36.2 million |
79% |
49% |
|
Mad Max: Fury Road |
2015 |
$185 million |
$380.4 million |
97% |
86% |
|
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga |
2024 |
$168 million |
$172.8 million |
90% |
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 why Furiosa underperformed was that the character didn’t have the audience’s interest. Many believe that it was Charlize Theron’s performance in Fury Road that 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.
How Likely Is Mad Max 5 (With Or Without Tom Hardy)?
George Miller Has Expressed His Interest In A Fifth Movie
George Miller has already expressed interest in a fifth Mad Max movie, as evidenced by his early-stage development of Mad Max: The Wasteland. However, Miller was up front about waiting to see how Furiosa performed before getting too far into the development process. If Furiosa’s box office was a determining factor, The Wasteland may not actually be progressing forward. Tom Hardy himself essentially confirmed that to be the case in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that he gave while promoting The Bikeriders following the release of Furiosa.
Hardy was asked specifically about Mad Max: The Wasteland and responded bluntly:
I don’t think that’s happening.
The Wasteland is what George Miller intended to be the next step in the Mad Max saga, 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 a Mad Max film 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 the Mad Max franchise 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.
- Character(s)
- Max Rockatansky , Immortan Joe , Furiosa , Rictus Erectus , Angharad , The People Eater , Corpus Colossus , Toecutter , Nux , Dr. Dementus
- Video Game(s)
- Mad Max (1990) , Mad Max (2015)
