All we want in this wide world is more Imperator Furiosa, so the fact that a lawsuit is delaying the Mad Max follow-ups from happening might give George Miller the time he needs to rethink her involvement.
We’re not going to be getting any Mad Max films for the foreseeable future. Not until some legal troubles are settled, anyway. As reported by Birth.Movies.Death, Miller’s production company—Kennedy Miller Marshall—is currently suing Warner Bros. for $7M in unpaid Fury Road bonuses. They share a run-down of the issues at hand from The Playlist:
“According to Kennedy Miller Mitchell, if the the final net cost of Fury Road didn’t exceed $157 million, they would receive a $7 million bonus. Even more, if Warner Bros. decided to co-finance the picture, Kennedy Miller Mitchell would be given the first opportunity to participate. However, Kennedy Miller Mitchell claims that Warner Bros. made decisions that caused Fury Road to go over budget, and even more, entered a co-financing deal with Brett Ratner’s RatPac Entertainment without reaching out to Miller’s company first.”
Oh, wait. This concerns Warner Bros. pushing Brett Ratner on people unwillingly? The same Brett Ratner that Gal Gadot refuses to work with on Wonder Woman 2? The Brett Ratner who callously and lewdly outed a teenage Ellen Page and treated other women near him like pieces of meat? Ugh. Take them down, Kennedy Miller Mitchell. Warner Bros. needs to disassociate themselves from that guy. They need to learn.
Sadly, we’ll have to wait for all this legal brouhaha to be over before they even start thinking about the production of more Mad Max films. What would be amazing is if Kennedy Miller Mitchell not only won this lawsuit but also took the opportunity to continue on the feminist trajectory of Fury Road free of Ratner financing.
We know that Miller has ideas about two Mad Max: Fury Road follow-ups: one, a prequel, the other a sequel. Neither one will star Charlize Theron as our beloved Furiosa, though she might make an appearance in the sequel, as there have been talks of a scene in the script featuring the character. I mean, I know it’s the Mad Max franchise, and so the films are rightfully focused on, well, Max. But Furiosa is a clear standout when it comes to supporting characters in the franchise, and considering the success of Fury Road, it’s surprising as all get out that Miller wouldn’t want to incorporate her as much as possible.
Here’s hoping Miller is taking this time to reconsider using Furiosa and the Vuvalini, recognizing that their involvement in the film actually made it, and Max as a character, better. There’s now a little more time, Miller. Think about it, and make it happen!
(image: Warner Bros.)
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