Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome them, as Max, still alive in the desert, wanders on to places unknown. "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome" was the first "Mad Max" film made without producer Byron Kennedy, who was killed in a helicopter crash in 1983 while location scouting for the film. While the film was in development before Kennedy's death, director George Miller was hesitant to continue without his producing partner. "I was reluctant to go ahead," said Miller. "And then there was a sort of need to – let's do something just to get over the shock and grief of all of that." A title card at
Mad Max: Fury Road Gibson would return as Max. That same month, British actor Tom Hardy was in negotiations to take the lead role of Max, while it was also announced that Charlize Theron would play a major role in the film. In June 2010, Hardy announced on "Friday Night with Jonathan Ross" that he would play the title role. In July 2010, Miller announced plans to shoot two "Mad Max" films back-to-back, entitled "Mad Max: Fury Road" and "Mad Max: Furiosa". Weta Digital was originally involved with the film when it was scheduled for a 2012 release. The company was to be handling