WTF? asks occasional B&U blogger John Lichman upon the news that Mad Max might be returning to a theater near you.
Mad Max 4 was in the cards earlier this decade, complete with script, as a live action film. Sadly, the funding fell through as soon as we decided to bring democracy to Iraq (no joke, no politics, that’s really why funding died). Now George Miller, the writer/director behind Mad Max, Road Warrior and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome is ready to gear up MM4 as an animated stereoscopic feature.
He just has one catch: No Mel Gibson…
From MTV:
Now Miller is resurrecting the idea as an R-rated, stereoscopic anime flick for theatrical release. It’s a curious undertaking, to be sure, but one made all the more certain to happen after the runaway success in 2006 of his computer-animated “Happy Feet”—not that the newest, ever-violent “Max” film will have much in common with that kid-friendly penguin party.
“I see myself as someone who is very curious about storytelling and all its various media,” Miller said. “I’ve always loved anime, in particular the Japanese sensibility. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do.”
The project is one phase of a “Mad Max” renaissance of sorts. Along with “God of War II” designer Corey Barlog, Miller is developing an action-adventure videogame based on the fourth film. Gibson won’t be participating in that endeavor, either.
For the anime release, Miller isn’t looking simply to mimic Japanese-style animation but rather to adapt it for Western audiences. “The anime is an opportunity for me to shift a little bit about what anime is doing because anime is ripe for an adjustment or sea change,” he explained. “It’s coming in games and I believe it’s the same in anime. There’s going to be a hybrid anime where it shifts more towards Western sensibilities. [Japanese filmmaker Akira] Kurosawa was able to bridge that gap between the Japanese sensibilities and the West and make those definitive films.”
I’m not sure anyone asked the question, but it looks like we may get an answer to: “What would a Mad Max film directed by Kurosawa look like?”
The question I’m asking is why resurrect Mad Max as a 3-D anime without Mel Gibson? Just make another post-apocalyptic anime movie and try not to rip off Akira too much, which Mad Max 4 would probably do (cue the telepathy side-plot).
I know sequels are easier to sell than stand-alone films, but it seems like 3D anime already puts this film in a hard sell category. Is the “Mad Max” moniker enough to lure skeptics to the theater? Even if there’s no Mel Gibson?
