Tom Hardy has addressed the possibility of returning to the Mad Max universe for a rumored prequel, The Wasteland.

In a recent interview about his latest film, The Bikeriders, Hardy was asked if he might work with George Miller again to reprise his role from Mad Max: Fury Road. Hardy responded, “I don’t think that’s happening,” he told Forbes.

Tom Hardy addresses the possibility of his return to the Mad Max saga

Hardy starred alongside Charlize Theron in 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road. Miller recently shared that there was some on-set drama between the two stars. Miller told The Telegraph, “They were just two very different performers.”

Miller added, “Tom has a damage to him but also a brilliance that comes with it, and whatever was going on with him at the time, he had to be coaxed out of his trailer. Whereas Charlize was incredibly disciplined – a dancer by training, which told in the precision of her performance – and always the first one on set.”

Miller mentioned that after addressing the issue, things improved. He viewed their behavior as mirroring their characters, who had to learn to cooperate for mutual survival. He acknowledged that there was no excuse for their behavior and noted a tendency in the industry to use great performances as an excuse for avoidable disruptions.

Regarding another installment in the Mad Max franchise, Miller recently told Deadline that the possibility of making The Wasteland depends on the success of the current film. “We have to see how well this one does,” he said.

Tom Hardy reveals the tragic clown behind his biker character

Tom Hardy knows that his character in Jeff Nichols’ The Bikeriders might look like a tough, charismatic leader of a wild motorcycle gang, but he warns that appearances can be deceiving.

During an interview with Variety, Hardy said, “You look straight away at a biker movie and think, ‘Oh, it’s leather. It’s sexy. The music’s great. The hair’s great. The obvious choice is to play to all of these. So the obvious choice for somebody like me is to go to the counterpoint of all those, this guy is a tragic clown.”

Hardy wanted to show the character’s pathetic and embarrassing moments, making him more relatable. He explains that the character’s voice is a bit creepy, like Bugs Bunny, to highlight his weaknesses. Speaking over Zoom, Hardy appeared relaxed, dressed in a black hoodie and vaping between answers.

This contrasts sharply with his intense role as Johnny, the leader of Chicago’s Vandals motorcycle gang. When complimented on his Midwest accent in the film, Hardy modestly said he wasn’t sure he nailed it.

Hardy emphasizes that for him, it’s more important to fully commit to a role, even if he fails. He prefers taking risks over playing it safe. Known for creating unique voices for his characters, from Bane in The Dark Knight Rises to his role in The Revenant, Hardy believes in crafting a vocal and physical silhouette to conjure an authentic atmosphere.