Nothing is signed, sealed or delivered but, according to E! Online, Oscar winning actress, Charlize Theron, is director George Miller’s first choice to play the lead female role in the upcoming Mad Max 4.

And, with Mel Gibson out, relative newcomer Tom Hardy is reportedly being considered to step behind the wheel of whatever crazy car the vehicle-centric franchise will see Max driving in the new millennium. British actor Hardy made his feature film debut in Ridley Scott’s 2001 war thriller ‘Black Hawk Down.’ He also plays US Army Private John Janovec in the award-winning HBO and BBC miniseries ‘Band of Brothers.’  

When Miller announced back in 2007 that he was about to revive the long dormant series and begin work on the fourth instalment, sometimes referred to as ‘Mad Max: Fury Road,’ he said Gibson was too old for the role of Max Rockatansky, adding “I don’t think he would be interested in being involved at all.”

It has been 24 years since the last movie. The first ‘Mad Max,’ set in a post apocalyptic world and starring a then little-known Gibson, was released in 1979, followed by ‘Mad Max 2′ in 1981 and ‘Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome in 1985.’

As for any further information on the coming pic, Miller is reportedly being extremely secretive. Auditioning actors have only been given a letter for their character’s name.

(Photo by PR Photos)

Story provided by the Dish Information Corporation