Fourth 'Mad Max' film still a go: Ready to revisit one of Mel Gibson's signature roles?

Image Credit: Dave M. Benett/Getty Images; Everett Collection; Janet Mayer/PR PhotosWriter-director George Miller is still moving forth with a fourth Mad Max film, Fury Road. With Tom Hardy (Inception) set to inherit the role that made Mel Gibson a star, news comes today via The Hollywood Reporter‘s Heat Vision blog that Riley Keough, the granddaughter of Elvis Presley who made her feature debut in this year’s Runaways as the sister to Dakota Fanning’s Cherie Currie, is in talks to play one of the “Five Wives,” women Mad Max must protect. When it was announced last October that the film, costarring Charlize Theron, would go into production this year in Australia, 64 percent of PopWatch readers said they were only excited about the franchise returning IF Mel Gibson returned with it. I’m thinking that poll might yield different results now that Gibson is back in the news with, what are we up to?, seven alleged rants caught on tape. Let’s put it to a vote. For the record, I wouldn’t want to see a Gibson cameo in Fury Road at this point, but his recent troubles do not taint the franchise for me. I’ve got no problem compartmentalizing and enjoying old Gibson films. If Bird on a Wire was on TV right now, I’d be watching it.