Mel Gibson Was Not Cast In 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Due To Director George Miller Being "Heartbroken"

Australian director George Miller and Hollywood legend Mel Gibson both got their big breaks on the same movie, 1979's 'Mad Max.' This was also the beginning of a hugely successful trilogy, which the pair would work on.

Miller chose not to cast Gibson in 'Mad Max: Fury Road'

It's now been over three decades since Gibson and Miller first collaborated together, but when the filmmaker was approached to direct the rebooted flick, which is set for release next summer, the 58 year-old actor wasn't cast even in a cameo role.

More: Director George Miller Speaks On Purposely Avoiding Use Of CGI In 'Mad Max: Fury Road'

So why did Miller decide to leave Gibson out of the film that made them both recognisable names on the movie industry? He was left "heartbroken" over the 'Braveheart' actor's string of controversial scandals in recent years, and younger stars would also be needed for a brand new trilogy.

Tom Hardy is the new 'Mad Max'

The rebooted franchise now has Tom Hardy in the leading role, and the supporting cast is equally impressive with the likes of Charlize Theron, Nicolas Hoult, Zoë Kravitz and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, plus many more.

Miller's modern take on the rebooted post-apocalyptic world

"I have a great affection for Mel. I was really heartbroken to see him go into (the scandals)," Miller said in a recent interview, via Daily Mail. "But it's a new time. I hope Mel gets to act in more movies because I think he's a wonderful actor. But I think he's an amazingly good director."

More: Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron Put the 'Fury' in 'Mad Max: Fury Road'

One of these scandals includes Gibson's ex-love, Oksana Grigorieva, recorded one of their phone calls and the actor can be heard making racial slurs and threats. This incident occurred four years after Gibson shouted anti-Semitic remarks to a police officer who apprehended him during a DUI arrest.

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Gibson will not be appearing in the new 'Mad Max' trilogy

However, as fans' anticipation for 'Max: Fury Road' increases, Miller gives his take on a modern day version of the post-apocalyptic thriller, describing it was an extended chase over a three-day period.

"You're picking up the characters and the backstory as you go," Miller said. "And in order to create that backstory, we found ourselves having written two other screenplays. One of them is completed. The other one is in the form of a kind of unedited novel. So by the time we got there, we realized we've got a couple more Mad Max stories to tell, and that ... required us to cast someone who was younger."