The Internet often feels like a gigantic game of telephone, and it can be exhausting trying to sort out what is true and what is false when you see outlets picking up stories and running them without any additional reporting, and often without taking even a moment to consider if a rumor makes sense.
George Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road is one of the most exciting success stories of 2015. Heading into the year, everything I was hearing from inside Warner Bros. was about how nervous the film made them and how there were execs at the top levels of the studio who simply didn't know what the hell they'd made. I had spoken to people who saw early test screenings, and the word from them was far more positive. I personally was just hoping for something fun. I was not prepared for the actual film Miller made, and watching him exceed all expectations has been delightful at every step.
I've been lucky enough to get several opportunities this year to spend time with Miller and in speaking with him, it's been very clear that he loves this world he's created and that he was energized by the experience of making and releasing the film. With an Oscar nomination under his belt now, it seems that the message has been sent to him loud and clear: we love this world, too.
When Page Six ran the story that Miller had said he would not make any more Mad Max films, I didn't even bother writing about it because I knew it wasn't right. But that story went everywhere, and as a result, Miller had to clarify once again that everything he's been saying since May is still exactly the same. Even though that was days ago, I'm still seeing new stories about whether or not he's going to make more Max films. Some outlets were so confused about what was happening that they hedged their bets, leading to insanity like an article about what the word “make” means in the context of “I won't make more of those films.” I'm dreading the next few years and how many times we'll see this same cycle play out.
Miller's been very clear about wanting to make at least one more film in the series, although he's also said that he has two different stories in mind at this point. Fury Road was in development for a long time, and Miller's talked about how hard it was as an actual production. All he's said about his schedule so far is that he wants to make something else before he heads back to the world of Max.
My biggest problem with the ongoing conversation around this is that it feels like validating someone else's mistake. This is what drives me crazy about the way information (and misinformation) spreads online now. I certainly hope to see more movies from George Miller, and, yes, I hope those include more Mad Max movies.
More than that, though, I hope we eventually learn as an industry not to regurgitate every single sensational comment made online, because it turns the news cycle into an endless echo chamber, one that readers simply can't trust. And that's no good for any of us.