Random Things You Didn't Know About 'Mad Max' Movies (37 items)

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  (#1) People Upset About Tom Hardy's Lack Of Dialogue Don't Remember The Original Trilogy

  Mel Gibson only had 16 lines of dialogue in the entire second film (and not many more in the first). Two of them were: "I only came for the gasoline."
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  (#2) One Of The Biggest Stunts In 'Mad Max 2' Is Actually An Accident Caught On Camera

  According to trivia book Movie Mavericks by Jon Sandys, one of the more spectacular stunts in the second movie was actually a serious accident. One of the motorcycle-riding raiders hits a car, flies off the bike, smashes his legs against the car, and cartwheels through the air towards the camera.

  This was a real, genuine accident: the stuntman was supposed to fly over the car without hitting it. But the near-fatal incident looked so dramatic that it was kept in the movie. The stuntman broke his leg badly, but survived. (If you look at the stuntman's body frame-by-frame through his cartwheels, you can see that one of his legs is bending at a slightly unnatural angle around the knee.)
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  (#3) Toe Cutter In The Very First 'Mad Max' Is Now Immortan Joe

   

  Hugh Keays-Byrne, who plays Toecutter in Mad Max, went on to play Immortan Joe in Mad Max: Fury Road.

   
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  (#4) If It Weren't For Conflict In Namibia We Could Have Had A Movie With Max And His Son, Played by Heath Ledger

  Miller's first try at reviving the franchise occurred in 2003, and he even confirmed that Heath Ledger had signed up to co-star alongside Mel Gibson. That version was to begin shooting in Namibia, but in 2003, with the prospect of the impending Iraq invasion ahead, 20th Century Fox postponed the production, which led to its eventual death.
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  (#5) The Dog In 'Mad Max 2' Had Specially Made Earplugs Because He Was Scared Of Cars

  The dog used in the second film, simply named "Dog," was obtained from a local dog pound and trained to perform in the film. Because the sound of the engines upset him (and, in one incident, caused him to relieve himself), he was fitted with earplugs made out of cotton. After filming was complete, he was adopted by one of the stunt coordinators.
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  (#6) Due To A Bar Fight, Mel Gibson Was Originally Considered As One Of The Freaks

  Mel Gibson didn't go to the audition for the film to read for a part, he actually went along with a friend who was auditioning. Because he had been in a bar fight the night before and was bruised and swollen, he was told he could come back and audition later because they needed freaks. He did return later and offered the role on the spot. 
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  (#7) The Iconic Black Interceptor Was Saved On A Fluke

  After Mad Max was finished and before it was released, the black Interceptor was sent to a dump. Thankfully, a dedicated fan tracked the car down and saved it from the wreckage. 
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  (#8) Before Tom Hardy, Jeremy Renner Was Almost Mad Max

  Jeremy Renner was originally supposed to act in Mad Max: Fury Road before his role was given to Tom Hardy. Renner got so far that he did a chemistry test with Zoe Kravitz, who ended up playing Toast.
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  (#9) The Original Film's Budget Was Much Less Than Most Movies' Advertising Budgets

  Mad Max was shot in 12 weeks, on a meager $350,000 budget, in and around Melbourne.
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  (#10) The Majority Of The Effects In 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Are Practical

  Over 80% of the effects seen in the film are real practical effects. CGI was used sparingly, mainly to enhance the Namibian landscape, remove stunt rigging and for Charlize Theron's left hand, which in the film is a prosthetic.
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  (#11) Max's Strange Outfit In 'Mad Max 2' Was Based On Logical Modifications

  There are plenty of sensible and logical reasons for Max's strange and mismatched outfit:

  Right arm of jacket missing - arm was run over by a bike in Mad Max and medics would have cut the sleeve off rather than pull it over a damaged limb.
  Squeaky leg brace - kneecap shot through in the previous movie.
  Harness with spanners and other objects dangling from it - for running repairs on his Interceptor.
  First two fingers of each driving glove missing - easier insertion and retrieval of shotgun shells from his sawed-off shotgun.
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  (#12) The Sandstorm At The End Of 'Beyond Thunderdome' Was Real

  The sandstorm at the end of the film was real, and a camera plane actually did fly into it for some shots. 
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  (#13) 'The Road Warrior' And 'Fury Road' Were Both Shot In A Very Unusual Way

  While most movies are shot out of order due to shooting necessities, Miller decided to shoot The Road Warrior and, decades later, Fury Road, almost entirely in chronological order.
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  (#14) Humungus (In 'Mad Max 2') Was Originally Supposed To Be Max's Partner From The First Film

  Humungus was originally supposed to be Max's partner, Jim Goose. The creators decided against this, but left in a few hints, such as Humungus's gang has police gear, like helmets and cars. 
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  (#15) Max's Left Pupil Is Permanently Dilated In 'Beyond Thunderdome,' Reflecting An Injury In The Second Movie

  The pupil in Max's left eye is permanently dilated as a nod to Mad Max 2. When his car is forced off the road by Wez and he crashes, he suffers a severe injury to, among other body parts, his left eye. As is tradition in the Mad Max franchise, Max's injuries are carried on from movie to movie. 
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  (#16) Kawasaki Donated Demo Bikes To The Production

  Many of the motorcycles were donated by Kawasaki, which was not the internationally known brand it is now. Only popular in Japan in 1979, Kawasaki jumped at the opportunity to appear in an Australian movie.
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  (#17) The 'Get Out Of Jail Free' Card In The First Film Was Kind Of Real

  The "get out of jail free card" that Goose gives the triker was an on-set joke. Because of the limited budget, the biker gang was an actual biker gang (the Vigilantes), and they had to ride to the set each day in-costume, often with their prop weapons displayed. Since the production company expected them to be pulled over by the local police, each was given a letter explaining the film's peculiar requirements, and asking for law enforcement's understanding and cooperation.
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  (#18) While Filming 'Mad Max,' The Filmmakers Were Constantly Stealing Locations And Filming Guerrilla Style

  If certain shots feel rushed, it's because the crew made a habit of closing off roads and stealing a few shots before authorities could catch them. 
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  (#19) Tina Turner's Dress in 'Beyond Thunderdome' Was Insanely Heavy

  Aunty Entity's (Tina Turner) steel mail dress is said to have weighed around 120 pounds.
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  (#20) The Storyboards For 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Were Completed Before The Script

  According to George Miller, the film's storyboard was completed even before the screenplay. Miller envisioned the film as a continuous chase, with little dialogue, mostly focusing on the visuals. The storyboard was made with the collaboration of five artists and had about 3,500 panels.
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  (#21) The US Release Of 'Mad Max 2' Was Completely Renamed To 'The Road Warrior'

  Mad Max 2 was renamed The Road Warrior for North American distribution because at the time, the original Mad Max had only been released on a limited basis, so calling it Mad Max 2 would have confused viewers.
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  (#22) The First Trailers (And Poster) For The Original Film Didn't Even Show Mel Gibson

  Because he was relatively unknown in the US, trailers and previews did not feature Mel Gibson. Instead, they focused on the car crashes and action scenes.
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  (#23) The Final Stunt In 'Mad Max 2' Was So Dangerous That They Prepared For The Worst

  The tanker roll stunt at the end of the chase in the second film was deemed so dangerous that the stunt driver was not allowed to eat any food 12 hours before they shot, in the likely event that he would need to be rushed into surgery.
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  (#24) 'Beyond Thunderdome' Was A Completely Different George Miller Idea, Then Max Wound Up In It

  Originally, Mad Max 2 was the conclusion of the Mad Max story, in which Max's fate would never have been revealed, and George Miller had no intentions of making a third installment.

  However, Miller had planned to make a post-apocalyptic Lord of the Flies film about a tribe of children living in the wild, who are found by an adult. When Miller suggested that Mad Max should be the adult who finds the children, it became the third installment, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.
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  (#25) At The Time Of Its Release, 'Mad Max 2' Boasted A Number Of Impressive Aussie Filming Records

  At the time of release in 1981, Mad Max 2 featured not only the most expensive set ever constructed for an Australian film, but also boasted the largest explosion ever created for an Australian film. It was also the most expensive Australian film produced up to that time.
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  (#26) The First 'Mad Max' Was Originally Banned In New Zealand

  Mad Max was banned in New Zealand because it featured "objectionable content," according to New Zealand's Ministry of Culture & Heritage. The film was released in the country in 1981. 
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  (#27) Max's Last Name (Rockatansky) Was Inspired By An Important Doctor

  Mad Max Rockatansky is named for 19th century pathologist Carl von Rokitansky, originator of the Rokitansky procedure, the most common method for removal of the internal organs in an autopsy.
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  (#28) There Are 10 Options For The Wheel In 'Beyond Thunderdome'

  The possible outcomes on the wheel are:

  - Death
  - Hard Labour
  - Acquittal
  - Gulag
  - Aunty's Choice
  - Spin Again
  - Forfeit Goods
  - Underworld
  - Amputation
  - Life Imprisonment
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  (#29) 'Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome' Had Two Directors Because Of A Tragic And Untimely Death

  George Millers suffered a tragic loss during the making of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome after his friend and producer Byron Kennedy was killed in a helicopter crash. That may explain why Miller shared directorial responsibilities with George Ogilvie on this particular film. Thunderdome is dedicated to Kennedy's memory.
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  (#30) The Budget For The 'Mad Max' Films Has Grown

  The budget for Fury Road is estimated to be between $157 million and $187 million, while the budget for the original Mad Max was between $350,000 to $400,000. 
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  (#31) Tina Turner Couldn't Drive A Manual Transmission, Which Caused Issues On 'Beyond Thunderdome'

  The script called for Aunt Entity to drive a vehicle. All of the vehicles were built using manual transmissions, which Tina Turner couldn't drive, so a car equipped with an automatic transmission had to be constructed.
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  (#32) In The First Film, Only Max Himself Wore Real Leather

  Due to Mad Max's low budget, only Mel Gibson was given a jacket and pants made from real leather. All the other actors playing police officers wore vinyl outfits.
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  (#33) George Miller Got To Make The 'Mad Max Sequels' Instead of 'Contact'

  Director George Miller was given the rights to Mad Max 2 and Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome in order to get him to step aside as the director of Contact.
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  (#34) The US Release Of The Original Was Completely Redubbed

  Before the original Mad Max was released in the United States, distributor American International Pictures overdubbed the actors' speaking voices, as it was believed that the original Australian accents would be too difficult for American audiences to decipher. 
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  (#35) Tupac Shot 'California Love' At Thunderdome

  The music video for Tupac Shakur's 1996 hit "California Love" was shot at the Thunderdome set and features vehicles and clothes inspired by the Mad Max series.
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  (#36) A Feminist Literary Icon Was Brought On For 'Fury Road' To Make Sure The Characters Were Handled Well

  Writer and feminist Eve Ensler (The Vagina Monologues) was consulted to enhance the portrayal of female characters.
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  (#37) The Script For 'Fury Road' Has Been Ready Since 2003 And Was Almost a Cartoon

  During the project's hiatus beginning in 2003, George Miller was rumored to be considering transforming the film into a 3D animated feature with some live action mixed in.

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