Since Mad Max: Fury Road blasted on to screens in 2015, we've been waiting to hear whether the planned follow-ups would see the light of day. Now it seems there's a legal wrinkle holding things up, as director George Miller and producing partner Doug Mitchell are suing studio Warner Bros. over what they say is an unpaid bonus.
At the core of the matter – originally reported by the Sydney Morning Herald – is a bonus of $7 million promised the duo on the understanding that they would keep the film below a budget of $157 million. Miller claims that the studio refused on the grounds that the film went past that, but that its own decisions led to the cost overruns.
"Simply put, we are owed substantial earnings for diligent and painstaking work which spanned over 10 years in development of the script and preparation and three years in production of the movie,” Miller and his producing partner, Doug Mitchell, said in a statement to the paper. "That hard work resulted in a picture which found wide acclaim globally… We would much prefer to be making movies with Warner Bros. than litigating with them but, after trying for over a year, we were unable to reach a satisfactory resolution and have now had to resort to a lawsuit to sort things out."
For the studio's part, its response was the standard statement: "We disagree and will vigorously defend against these claims." Warner Bros. is arguing that the dispute should be handled in arbitration in California, but the New South Wales Supreme Court has ruled against it. The case continues, but the future for more Mad Max movies feels murkier right now.
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