Los Angeles - Charlize Theron is to star in a new installment of the Mad Max movie franchise, 25 years after the Mel Gibson series last hit the screens, Variety reported Friday. Gibson will not be reprising his role as patrolman Max Rockatansky battling in a post-apocalyptic society. Instead, that role will be filled by British actor Tom Hardy (Black Hawk Down). George Miller, who directed the first three installments will return for the new offering, to be titled Mad Max: Fury Road, the report said.
The original Mad Max starred a 21-year-old Gibson and was released in 1979. It quickly became a cult hit and was followed by a sequel known as The Road Warrior in 1981. The third film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome was released in 1985 and co-starred Tina Turner.
