George Miller gives MAD MAX: FURY ROAD update

George Miller has been doing press for his latest film Happy Feet Two, and revealed some details about the long-planned Mad Max sequels. Mad Max: Fury Road and Mad Max: Furiosa are scheduled to be shot back-to-back and Miller discussed the reasons for their delay. He also talked a bit about the future of the Happy Feet franchise and his motion-capture Justice League movie, which almost got made. 

Here is what he had to say about the delay of Fury Road, which has Tom Hardy attached to star: 

"Theoretically, it's next year. We have 150 big vehicles built and so on."

"[W]e were all geared up for that," Miller recalled. "We were all set to shoot in the Australian desert and then unprecedented rain came and what was the wasteland -- completely flat, red earth -- is now a flower garden. The big massive salt flats in the center of Australia where they do record speed trials and stuff is now full of pelicans and fish... We sort of lost the wasteland."

Miller hopes to begin filming in 2012, but he revealed it is important to point out when a movie is going to happen until the camera is actually rolling.

"You know, John Lennon said, 'Life is what happens when you're making other plans'", Miller smiled. "Films keep on coming out of my head and I never know what film I'm going to make next. Common and I were going to work on a 'Justice League' movie together. He was cast as Green Lantern and it was almost greenlit when it fell away. I fell in love with the guy and I called him up and said, 'You can't play the Green Lantern, but how about playing a penguin?'"

Justice League looked like it was ready to move forward, and was already cast. It had Common, D.J. Cotrona as Superman, Adam Brody as the Flash, Armie Hammer as Batman and Megan Gale as Wonder Woman. Here is what Miller had to say:

"That was a whole bunch of complex events," Miller added. "It was the middle of a writers strike. There was Australian rebate legislation that was required to get the film going. It was just a whole complex series of events. It was no one particular's fault that it didn't happen."

Miller said he is proud of Happy Feet, and stated:

"People do think, 'what happened?' to me," he laughs, "but I do love 'Happy Feet'... I really love making these movies. I love the process of making these movies. They're incredibly hard to make because of the hours you put in. They're incredibly complex."

Here is what he had to say about the possibility of a third installment:

"It's surprising," he said, "but if you put a gun to my head and said, 'You have to come up with a story for 'Happy Feet Three,'' I'd say, 'Shoot me.' I would have no idea. I really would have no idea. The stories creep up on you... You just have to allow the stories to come and then they get in like little earworms in your head and then they won't go away. If that happens and we've got the energy, we'll do a third one. If that doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. But that's the only way you can do it. It has to be authentic. I really wanted to make this film better than the first one. Otherwise, at my age, what's the point?"

I am looking forward to more Mad Max. I grew up watching the original films and I think Tom Hardy will be great in the role. What are your thoughts on this news?