Legendary Australian filmmaker George Miller has seemingly planned Max Rockatansky’s final drive off into the sunset.
Puck’s Matthew Belloni reports that Miller, now 81, was recently in Hollywood meeting with studios about what is essentially an exit plan for the franchise.
The pitch includes one final film, followed by a TV series, and then selling off the property to the highest bidder.
Amazon, Universal, and Sony Pictures are all said to be interested, but the most notable factor is that Warner Bros. Pictures, which has been home to the franchise and distributed the five previous films, is not in the mix.
Miller reportedly did visit WB, but both the film and TV divisions passed. Miller’s “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” grossed just $174 million worldwide against a budget of around $168 million and was seen as a big money loser for the studio.
Even ‘Fury Road’, despite all its critical and awards success, only took $380 million on a budget over $150 million. Combined with Warners in the midst of its acquisition by Paramount Skydance, a costly franchise play was going to be unlikely.
