Tom Hardy offers up a hopeful response regarding his return as Max Rockatansky for Anya Taylor-Joy taking over the role of Furiosa from Charlize Theron. It's currently unclear what's next for the franchise.

During a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight at the premiere of Venom: The Last Dance, Hardy is asked about whether he'll be back as Max for an additional Mad Max movie. While the franchise's future remains up in the air, the actor makes clear he'd be open to reprising his role:

"No, I haven't been told anything about it yet, but obviously I'd love to do that."

As for what the next project will be, Hardy brings up The Wasteland, which was first reported back around the release of Fury Road. Whether it gets made, however, the actor doesn't know. Read Hardy's comment or watch the video below (relevant section begins at 1:00):

"George already has a script called the Wasteland, which is like quite specific so I'm aware of that. It depends on whether they're making it."

What Hardy's Update Means For Mad Max: The Wasteland

How Furiosa Affects The Movie's Chances

The Wasteland isn't a particularly new project, and it was reported to serve as more or less a sequel to Fury Road. Though Miller was once seemingly keen on pushing this project forward, he evidently opted to focus on Furiosa instead. Unfortunately, despite Furiosa's positive reviews, the film may have sealed the franchise's fate with its theatrical run earlier this year.

Made on an estimated budget of $168 million, Furiosa was a significant disappointment in theaters, grossing just $173.8 million worldwide. This is considerably less than Fury Road's $379.4 million global haul, and even that result made the 2015 more of a modest success than a full-blown hit. Furiosa's performance suggests that the audience for new Mad Max movies is perhaps more limited than previously thought, and it may well have killed any chances that The Wasteland will happen, despite Hardy's enthusiasm.

Furiosa, which also stars Chris Hemsworth, has a strong 90% critics score and 89% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Our Take On Mad Max: The Wasteland

Hardy Should Get Another Outing As Max

At least part of the reason why Furiosa underperformed could be because it's a Mad Max movie without Max. It's possible that Hardy's return to the role could be enough to get The Wasteland off the ground and drive it to success, but it's now looking like a long shot. If another Mad Max movie does happen, it probably won't be anytime soon, and it will likely feature a much more modest budget, meaning what's featured in The Wasteland script might not even be possible to pull off.

That being said, Hardy made for a great Max in Fury Road, and it would be exciting to see him play that character again. He actually would be well-suited to a more stripped-back Mad Max movie that plays more like a post-apocalyptic thriller rather than an expansive (and expensive) epic. It remains to be seen whether Mad Max: The Wasteland will actually happen, but Hardy is evidently up for it.

Source: Entertainment Tonight