Love Mad Max Fury Road? Here's how it came to be

There are very few Australian films that are more recognized around the world than Mad Max.

This independently produced film was the catalyst for the career of debut writer and director George Miller, now an accomplished Hollywood film maker and Academy Award winner. It was also a breakout role for Mel Gibson, thrusting him into international stardom as the lead character Max Rockatansky.

Released in 1979, the rise of Mad Max is a true 'Aussie battler' story, sharing the box office with big budget features such as Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Alien, Rocky II, and Apocalypse Now. Amongst these blockbusters, Mad Max was a low-budget film with no headline actors. Despite the competition, Mad Max managed to gross more than $5 million in Australia and around $90 million worldwide. Based on a modest production budget of $400,000, Mad Max had the highest profit-to-cost ratio for a motion picture in two decades.

While Mel Gibson's portrayal of Max was memorable, the biggest stars of the film were the cars. The first car to appear in the movie is a Holden HQ Monaro coupe, the MFP (Main Force Patrol) Pursuit Special driven by the 'Night Rider', followed by the yellow police pursuit and interceptor cars driven by 'Big Bopper' and 'March Hare' and others. But it was Max's black supercharged Ford V8 Interceptor that became the most famous star car ever featured in an Australian movie.

Based on a 1973 Ford Falcon XB GT hardtop, a Polar White car with black trim (VIN: JG66ND43660K), the Mad Max Interceptor is a highly customised police special built to intercept criminals on the road. It featured custom body additions including a 'Concorde front' (styled by Peter Arcadipane – a famous car designer), roof spoiler, rear spoiler, wheel arch flares, side exhaust pipes, and a large Weiand supercharger protruding from the bonnet. According to the movie, "She sucks nitro... with Phase IV heads! 600 horsepower through the wheels! She's meanness set to music and the bitch is born to run!"

Mad Max 2 (The Road Warrior) was released in 1981, and was a very different story to the original movie, set in a post-apocalyptic lawless wasteland. Max and his V8 Interceptor return, and we are introduced to a new cast of cars including a highly modified Ford Landau (twin-turbo), as well as many other customised cars to suit the wasteland landscape. This film also was a box-office success, leading to a third instalment of the series.

Mad Max 3 (Beyond Thunderdome) was released in 1985, and continued with the wasteland theme. In this chapter of the Mad Max saga Max seems to help those who are unfortunate, while struggling to survive a battle for power with the evil queen of the desert, Aunty Entity (played by Tina Turner). This film substitutes the star cars for dune buggies modified for desert survival.

Three decades on, Mad Max: Fury Road marked the long awaited return for Max to the big screen. Written and directed by George Miller, this movie continues in a post-apocalyptic era where lawless lunatics control the world. Plenty of rumours about this film had circulated since the late 1980s, mostly surrounding who will play Max. Those that were tipped to be involved were Mel Gibson, Sam Worthington, Eric Bana, and Michael Biehn. The official announcement that the film would be produced was made in 2009 by George Miller's production company - Kennedy Miller Mitchell.

Max Rockatansky is played by Tom Hardy, who has featured in several big budget films including The Dark Knight Rises and Inception. Other notable cast members include Charlize Theron, Zoe Kravitz (daughter of rock star Lenny Kravitz), Australian model Megan Gale, and the return of the 'Toe-Cutter' – Hugh Keays-Byrne. Most of Fury Road was actually filmed in Namibia, Africa, which helped create the desert wasteland landscape that was required for the film.

The question is – will Mad Max be back again? Only time will tell...

Source: Survivor Car Australia

What do you think is the best installment in the Mad Max family? Is there another franchise that does it better? Tell us what you think in the comments below.