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Tom Hardy’s Mad Max Return in Doubt as Franchise's Future Stays in Limbo
Tom Hardy's chances of starring in Mad Max: The Wasteland have declined, impacting the state of the franchise.
Tom Hardy's chances of starring in Mad Max: The Wasteland have declined due to the box office flop of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, despite its 90% Rotten Tomatoes score. Mad Max: Fury Road, which earned just under 380 million USD in 2015, was considered a success, but the prequel, featuring Anya Taylor-Joy as the titular character, only grossed around 161.5 million USD worldwide. The state of George Miller's Mad Max franchise is uncertain.
Furiosa was expected to surpass the top 10 highest-grossing films of 2024 due to its action-packed qualities and critical acclaim. However, 2024 has been a year of surprising box office performances, with only animated movies and comic book sequels achieving 1 billion USD. If Furiosa had been a Mad Max sequel, led by Hardy, it may have fared better at the modern box office.
George Miller's slow creative pace make a Mad Max return for Hardy unlikely
It's too late for the Mad Max franchise to reintroduce Tom Hardy's Mad Max, given the time it took for Miller to create Furiosa. It's been almost a decade since Mad Max: Fury Road was released, and there's no progress on Mad Max: The Wasteland, the planned sequel. The franchise has shifted its focus to Furiosa, and the fact that Furiosa was first announced in 2010 is a concerning sign for any future sequels.
To the same effect, the screenplay for Fury Road took Miller and co-writer Nico Lathouris fifteen years to complete, which doesn't even consider the additional years of production and editing. Apparently. Miller had already worked out what happens to Hardy's Mad Max before Fury Road was even released, so it's unclear why development on Mad Max: The Wasteland has taken so long outside of Miller's shift in focus to Furiosa.
There are also talks about another Mad Max prequel movie that would feature a younger version of Hardy's character, which at this point would have to be recast similar to how Taylor-Joy took the reins from Charlize Theron.
Hardy and co-star Charlize Theron had clashes on the set of Mad Max: Fury Road, causing a lingering impression on everyone involved. Miller has hinted at recasting if Max returns, suggesting another Mad Max prequel movie could be in store. Hardy has expressed doubts about returning to the Mad Max franchise, despite apologies made afterward. The situation highlights the potential for a potential recasting of the franchise.
If Hardy doesn't return to the franchise, Miller may need to convert Mad Max: The Wasteland into a prequel series, creating an overlap with Taylor-Joy's Furiosa. This could extend both stories into a single film without much direct overlap. Charlize Theron could lead the next Mad Max project, acting as a sequel to Fury Road and Furiosa. Taylor-Joy's role in Furiosa was only half of the story, so it's interesting to see her potential in the role.
Furiosa is the biggest box office disappointment of the year
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, a prequel to 2015's Mad Max: Fury Road, has had a disappointing opening box office, indicating wider Hollywood box office issues. Despite being highly anticipated due to the positive reception of Fury Road and the fantastic cast, the film has not achieved the expected success.
The film Furiosa, despite its high expectations, has not been as successful as expected. The film follows Furiosa's journey to Valhalla and is a complex, wacky, and layered story that resembles its predecessor or successor. However, it has not resonated with general audiences, raising questions about the success of the Mad Max: Fury Road prequel.
Furiosa's opening weekend numbers were surprisingly low. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Furiosa slumped to a 26 million USD gross between Friday, May 24, and Sunday, May 26. However, Furiosa was released over the Memorial Day weekend, taking its estimated domestic total to between 31-33 million USD.
Concerning how Furiosa fared overseas, the reading is not much better. In territories outside of the United States and Canada, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga earned around 33 million USD, taking its worldwide total opening weekend haul to a lowly 64-66 million USD.
According to Deadline, Furiosa made 11.5 million USD domestically on its second weekend, trailing The Garfield Movie at 13 million USD. The movie's box office saw a 56% drop from its first weekend, compared to a 45% drop from its opening weekend. As of the writing, Furiosa has grossed 49.1 million USD, with Deadline predicting it will reach 50.4 million USD by the end of the weekend.
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