I think we can all say that we have waited long enough for a new MAD MAX movie. When production finally began on MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, I couldn’t tell if it was going to actually come to fruition or end up in some sort of studio-director death struggle. Based on this news, the outlook doesn’t look too positive.
If you wonder why directors like Terry Gilliam and Robert Rodriguez eschew the studio system, this is the reason why. Sure, it would be amazing to see a Terry Gilliam movie with a $100+ million budget, but he is too much of a control freak to ever let what happened to him on BRAZIL happen again. George Miller has been much more successful with the studios (BABE, HAPPY FEET) despite his control issues.
The Hollywood Reporter says that Warner Bros. studio head Jeff Robinov has flown to the set in Namibia and has named Denise Di Novi as a “studio supervisor” to chaperone the project to completion. Apparently Miller is five days behind schedule and the budget is rising above the projected $100-125 million it started with.
According to Robinov “It’s easier having someone there who has experience and who can keep us posted on the day’s events,” adding that he is optimistic the production will wrap on time.
A $125 million MAD MAX movie? Holy shit! So far we have only seen tanks and cars and a lot of sand and not a single shot of Tom Hardy or Charlize Theron in full character. Where is the money going? Obviously Warners has a hefty chunk invested in the movie and with a slew of high profile projects hitting road bumps recently, they need to watch their investment.
Hopefully this doesn’t result in one of those projects where the director storms off and someone is left to assemble what is left. MAD MAX: FURY ROAD has too much potential to not reach the finish line.
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