The premiere of Australian director George Miller’s return to the Mad Max franchise has been announced as part of this year’s Cannes film festival.
Mad Max: Fury Road, which stars Tom Hardy in the role made famous by Mel Gibson, will be presented out of competition on Thursday 14 May, the day before it’s released worldwide. It’s the first title to be revealed from this summer’s festival, with further announcements to be made over the next few weeks.
The film follows a grim battle over water and resources in a post-apocalyptic landscape, where Max meets Empress Furiosa, played by Charlize Theron. The film also stars Nicholas Hoult and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.
The project has had a bumpy route to the big screen and filming began more than two years ago. Director Miller, who was behind the original trilogy, has claimed the film is about visual storytelling, rather than something more dialogue-led. Miller’s last film was Happy Feet 2.
Other films rumoured to land at this year’s festival include the Cate Blanchett-starring Carol and the Michael Fassbender/Marion Cotillard adaptation of Macbeth.
This year’s festival kicks off on 13 May.
