If you have grown up in the 90s, it is probable that you have grown up with the likes of "Mad Max", "Mad Max 2", and "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome" showing on TV incessantly (read: HBO). These Mel Gibson-starrer apocalyptic flicks with not so much CGI were the treat of the day, and really an eye-opener for a kid.
Fast forward to 2015, "Mad Max: Fury Road" is already here, and going by the reviews and ratings, the movie might have lived to the kind of expectations the director and the crew had in mind while shooting the flick. This one, of course, stars Tom Hardy as Max Rockatansky and carries his apocalyptic story forward.
But before you can head over to the theatres, there are a few things about the new movie that you need to keep in mind. "Fury Road" didn't just happen like that, and there are a number of background stories that you should know. Here are the best five among them
Tom Hardy was Already "Mad Max"... even before he was Bane
British actor Tom Hardy was chosen as the new Mad Max after the character was, for so long, immortalised by Mel Gibson. In fact, Hardy was chosen to play Max Rockatansky's character in 2009, even before he was featured as Bane in "Dark Knight Rises". And there aren't many who could actually argue about Tom Hardy playing the character since, apart from Bane, he also had impressive roles in movies such as "Bronson", "Sucker Punch", and "Inception".
"Mad Max: Fury Road" to be Followed by "Furiosa"?
When the new "Mad Max" was conceived, the script came into being with a second movie in mind, called "Furiosa". "Furiosa" was expected to be shot back-to-back after the completion of Fury Road, but plans were withheld simply because the production unit wanted to see how "Fury Road" does in the charts, although the script was already done. However, with "Fury Road" doing quite well after its release, we could expect "Furiosa" to happen soon.
Mel Gibson's "Personal Problems" are Bigger than "Mad Max"
Mel Gibson's majorly-highlighted public downfall was probably one of the reasons why he was replaced by Tom Hardy for the role. In fact, Gibson was supposed to play his part as Max in "Fury Road" when they were still building up the plot back in 2006. However, after his infamous drunk-driving arrest - during which he told the police officers that ''Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world,'' the project was withheld, following Gibson's three-year probation order. Later, when shooting commenced in 2011, Gibson was considered too old to play the part. Director George Miller later said: ''Then Mel hit the turbulence in his life and time was 'getting on' by the time we regrouped. We got to 2010.''
"Fury Road" is an "Interquel"
When "Fury Road" was first brought to light, the first question fans had was if the new movie is a sequel, a prequel or simply a reboot. It was later revealed that "Fury Road" was none of those and is just set in the "Mad Max" universe. According to Charlize Theron, the movie was a re-imagining. "It's such an interesting world and how much it still resonates today after 20 years or whatever it's been. We're going back to that world but this is not a prequel or sequel or anything like that," she said. A Screen Rant report later tagged the movie as an "interquel."
"Fury Road" Vehicles were Designed a Long Time Ago
"Fury Road" with Tom Hardy as Max happened much later after Mel Gibson was chosen to handle the part. But Gibson's drunk-driving incident (mentioned above) played a spoil sport and the movie was delayed. But when the production was all set to commence with Gibson on-board in 2006, the in-movie cars and vehicles had already been designed and built. Apart from the well-known V8 Interceptor, a host of vehicles were designed for the movie, but were kept on hold until the final production dates. So, all the cars that you will see in the movie have been around since 2006, maybe even earlier than that.
