History of Mad Max: Fury Road in Timeline
Mad Max: Fury Road, directed by George Miller, is set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland where resources are scarce. Max Rockatansky, played by Tom Hardy, reluctantly joins forces with Imperator Furiosa, played by Charlize Theron, to escape the tyrannical rule of Immortan Joe. Furiosa seeks to liberate Immortan Joe's five wives and reach her homeland, the Green Place. A lengthy and explosive road battle ensues across the desert landscape as they are relentlessly pursued by Immortan Joe's forces, resulting in a high-octane fight for survival and redemption.
1987: Miller conceives initial idea
In 1987, George Miller conceived the idea for Mad Max: Fury Road, envisioning it as an almost continuous chase.
1987: Initial Idea
In 1987, George Miller had the initial idea of making a Mad Max instalment that was "almost a continuous chase".
1998: Plot idea emerges
In 1998, George Miller got an idea for the plot of Mad Max: Fury Road while walking across a street in Los Angeles.
2001: Production Postponed
In 2001, production of Mad Max: Fury Road was indefinitely postponed after the September 11 attacks caused financial and security concerns.
2003: Vehicle Construction Begins
As early as 2003, some of the vehicles for Mad Max: Fury Road were constructed, all of which were fully functional.
2006: Miller considers film without Gibson
In 2006, George Miller mentioned he was considering making Fury Road without Mel Gibson.
2007: Miller Confirms New Film
In 2007, George Miller confirmed his intention to make another Mad Max film, noting that Mel Gibson was too old for the part.
2007: Miller Decides to Pursue Film Again
In 2007, George Miller decided to pursue Mad Max: Fury Road again after the release of his animated film Happy Feet.
2008: Dr D Studios Founded
In 2008, Dr D Studios, a digital art studio, was founded by George Miller and Doug Mitchell.
March 2009: Animated Feature Announced
On March 5, 2009, it was announced that an R-rated animated feature film inspired by Japanese anime, taking much of the plot from Fury Road, was in pre-production. It would not feature Mel Gibson's voice.
May 2009: Location Scouting Underway
In May 2009, it was reported that location scouting was underway for Fury Road, with potential production later that year.
2009: Filming Announced
In 2009, George Miller announced that filming for Mad Max: Fury Road would begin in early 2011.
June 2010: Hardy Cast as Max
In June 2010, Tom Hardy was cast as Max Rockatansky for Fury Road and Charlize Theron would play a major role.
July 2010: Plans for Two Films
In July 2010, George Miller announced plans to shoot two Mad Max films back-to-back, entitled Mad Max: Fury Road and Mad Max: Furiosa.
August 2010: Principal Photography Announced
In October, Miller announced that principal photography on Fury Road would commence at Broken Hill, New South Wales in August 2010.
November 2010: Production Postponed
In November 2010, production of Mad Max: Fury Road was postponed from its start date.
November 2011: Filming Location Moved
In November 2011, filming for Mad Max: Fury Road was moved from Broken Hill back to Namibia due to unexpected heavy rains causing wildflowers to grow in the desert.
2011: Writing Process
During the writing process for Fury Road in 2011, Miller and McCarthy found that they had enough story material for two additional scripts.
2011: Anticipated Release Date
In 2011, the animated Fury Road film and the action-adventure tie-in video game were initially expected to be released, according to Miller.
2011: Planned Filming Start Date
In early 2011 was the date George Miller initially targeted to begin filming Mad Max: Fury Road.
July 2012: Principal Photography Begins
In July 2012, principal photography for Mad Max: Fury Road began in Namibia.
October 2012: Warner Bros. Executive Sent to Set
In October 2012, Warner Bros. sent an executive to Namibia to keep the production of Mad Max: Fury Road on track.
December 2012: Filming Wraps
In December 2012, initial filming for Mad Max: Fury Road wrapped, although additional footage was later shot.
2012: Weta Digital Involvement
In 2012, Weta Digital was initially set to handle the visual effects, before production was postponed from its November 2010 start date.
2012: Anticipated Release Date
In 2012, the animated Fury Road film and the action-adventure tie-in video game were initially expected to be released, according to Miller.
February 2013: Environmental Damage Accusations
In February 2013, a draft accusing the producers of Mad Max: Fury Road of damaging parts of the Namib desert and endangering species was leaked, but the Namibia Film Commission disputed the claims.
September 2013: Additional Scenes Announced
In September 2013, it was announced that Mad Max: Fury Road would add pick-ups of the opening and closing scenes at the Citadel.
November 2013: Additional Footage Shot
In November 2013, additional footage was shot for Mad Max: Fury Road.
November 2013: Filming Resumes
On November 22, 2013, filming continued for Mad Max: Fury Road at Potts Hill and Penrith Lakes in Western Sydney.
December 2013: Filming Concludes
In December 2013, filming for Mad Max: Fury Road concluded at Fox Studios Australia.
March 2015: Three More Films
In March 2015, Hardy revealed that he was attached to star in three more Mad Max films following Fury Road.
May 2015: World Premiere and Cannes Screening
In May 2015, Mad Max: Fury Road had its world premiere in Los Angeles on May 7 and screened at the Cannes Film Festival on May 14, with a theatrical release in the United States the following day.
May 2015: Premiere and Release
In May 2015, Mad Max: Fury Road premiered in Los Angeles on May 7 and was released in Australia on May 14. The film was a box office success and received numerous awards and accolades.
May 2015: Mad Max: The Wasteland
In May 2015, Miller revealed that one of these proposed films would be titled Mad Max: The Wasteland, clarifying that it was a working title and would trace Max's travels in the Wasteland preceding his capture.
May 2015: Additional Stories
In May 2015, Miller told Wired that if the film became successful, he would tell two additional stories.
May 2015: Prequel Comic Series Published
In May 2015, Vertigo Comics began publishing a comic book prequel limited series for Mad Max: Fury Road, with the first issue released on May 20.
May 2015: Soundtrack Album Released
On May 12, 2015, the soundtrack album for Mad Max: Fury Road, written by Junkie XL, was released by WaterTower Music.
August 2015: Digital Release in US
In August 2015, Mad Max: Fury Road was released digitally in the US on August 11.
August 2015: Prequel Comic Series Completed
In August 2015, Vertigo completed the publication of a prequel comic book series for Mad Max: Fury Road.
October 2015: UK Blu-ray Release
In October 2015, Mad Max: Fury Road was released on Blu-ray and DVD in the UK on October 5.
December 2015: Black and White Version Confirmed
In December 2015, producer Doug Mitchell confirmed that the black-and-white version of Mad Max: Fury Road existed and could potentially be released theatrically.
2015: Awards
At the 88th Academy Awards in 2015, Mad Max: Fury Road received nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Visual Effects; and won Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing. It won Best Film at the National Board of Review Awards and was named one of the ten best films by the American Film Institute.
2015: Top-selling video titles in the US
In 2015, Home media editions of Mad Max: Fury Road were among the top-selling video titles in the US.
2015: Scabrous Scrotus and Chumbucket
In 2015, Josh Helman and Bryan Probets portrayed Scabrous Scrotus and Chumbucket, characters created for the Mad Max video game.
2015: Critics' Top-Ten Lists
In 2015, Mad Max: Fury Road was listed on over 170 film critics' top-ten lists, topping Metacritic's tally of film critics year-end best film lists, and was named Rotten Tomatoes' best scoring film.
2015: Mad Max: Fury Road Released
In 2015, Mad Max: Fury Road, an Australian post-apocalyptic action film co-written, co-produced, and directed by George Miller, was released. This fourth installment in the Mad Max franchise stars Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron and follows Max Rockatansky and Imperator Furiosa against Immortan Joe.
2015: Miller Reflects on Delays
In 2015, following the release of Mad Max: Fury Road, George Miller discussed how the September 11 attacks and other issues led to significant delays in the film's production.
January 2016: Black and White Version Announced for DVD Release
In January 2016, George Miller announced that the black-and-white version of Mad Max: Fury Road would appear on a later DVD release.
October 2016: Black & Chrome Edition Release
In October 2016, the black-and-white version of Fury Road, called the Black & Chrome Edition, debuted as part of the Mad Max: High Octane anthology.
2016: Top-selling video titles in the US
In 2016, Home media editions of Mad Max: Fury Road were among the top-selling video titles in the US.
2016: BBC Poll
In 2016, a BBC poll of 177 film critics listed Mad Max: Fury Road as the 19th-best film of the 21st century.
November 2017: Lawsuit Delay
In November 2017, it was reported that a lawsuit filed by Miller's production company against Warner Bros. over a disputed $7 million bonus was likely to delay the production of any further Mad Max films.
July 2019: Three Films Being Considered
In July 2019, Miller told IndieWire that three films were being considered: two Mad Max stories and a Furiosa story, the latter of which was eventually produced first.
2019: Lawsuit resolved
In 2019, the legal dispute between Miller's production company and Warner Bros. was resolved, enabling pre-production to move forward.
February 2020: Best Movies That Lost Best Picture at the Oscars
In February 2020, New York Magazine listed Mad Max: Fury Road as among "The Best Movies That Lost Best Picture at the Oscars."
October 2020: Furiosa Prequel
In October 2020, a prequel to Fury Road, titled Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, entered "advanced development" at Warner Bros, in collaboration with Miller and Mitchel under their Kennedy Miller Mitchell banner.
2020: Lawsuit resolved
In 2020, the legal dispute between Miller's production company and Warner Bros. was resolved, enabling pre-production to move forward.
2021: Greatest Screenplays of the 21st Century
In 2021, Mad Max: Fury Road's screenplay was listed number sixty-eight on the Writers Guild of America's "101 Greatest Screenplays of the 21st Century (So Far)".
May 2024: Furiosa Release
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga was released on 24 May 2024.
May 2024: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Released
On May 24, 2024, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, a prequel film, was released, with George Miller returning as writer and director.
June 2024: The Wasteland isn't happening
In June 2024, While promoting The Bikeriders, Hardy, said in an interview that, "I don't think [The Wasteland is] happening."
2024: Over three million copies sold
As of 2024, over three million copies of Home media editions of Mad Max: Fury Road have been sold, for a total revenue of $56.9 million.
February 2025: Interest in Making The Wasteland
In February 2025, Miller expressed further interest in making The Wasteland despite Furiosa underperforming, though he wished to commit to other projects first.
2025: Best Movies of the 21st Century
In 2025, Mad Max: Fury Road ranked number 11 on The New York Times' list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century", and number 7 on Rolling Stone's equivalent list.
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