GOOD CHOICE: Mel Gibson gives Tom Hardy 'Mad Max' blessing: 'He's a good choice'

Mel Gibson has given his blessing to the casting of Tom Hardy in Mad Max: Fury Road. Hardy will take over the eponymous role of Max in the fourth instalment, which was played by Gibson in Mad Max (1979), Mad Max 2 (1981) and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985).

"I sat down with the guy and I quite like him," Gibson told Coming Soon. "I think he's a good choice for that." Asked whether he would see the film, Gibson confirmed: "Oh yeah, I'll have a look. It'll be fun. I think he's a good actor. He commits completely and he looks great. "There's this scary thing about him which is kind of right for that. Tom needed to sit down and talk more than I did. I'm really happy about that. But I hope they do a great job." Gibson also revealed that long-time franchise director George Miller originally tried to persuade him to return, but that budgetary constraints prevented it.