George Miller Says Rain, Not Budget To Blame For Delayed Production On 'Mad Max'; Hugh Keays-Byrne To Return

When news broke late last week that George Miller's already delayed "Mad Max" films were going to be bumped once again, we began to get an uneasy feeling as the situation bore similarities to Miller's last major live-action attempt; his "Justice League" film for Warner Bros. which was scrapped at the final hurdle in 2008 and never recovered.

However, it appears that nothing more sinister than weather conditions are to blame for the delay with a forecast of rain hitting the desert forcing filmmakers to hold production until the Australian outback goes back to being hot, dry and dusty.

''Unfortunately for Mad Max, what was wasteland is now this wonderful flower garden,'' Miller said. And shooting elsewhere is not an option Miller seems to be too interested in. ''We've looked at every single nook and cranny in Australia for these specific locations. That's why Broken Hill has become such a base for outback films: you've got the infrastructure of the city itself and the treeless plains beyond."

''Obviously if we go to Namibia or Morocco or Chile it's a different kettle of fish, but we want to shoot it here," Miller said.

As for the budget issues, Miller states that financing is not an issue and that Warner Bros. is still behind the film. ''Warners are very, very committed to the film, as we are,'' he said. ''There is nothing like creative problems. It's not an issue of budget; we're covered on the Australian dollar rise.''

And finally, we have a bit more casting news. Hugh Keays-Byrne -- who played Toecutter in "Mad Max -- is returning though its not known if he's reprising his role (maybe as the father of the character he played?). Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron are expected to stick with the film with a new start date arriving as early as July 2011 but most likely September or October.

>>> George Miller Says Rain, Not Budget To Blame For Delayed Production On 'Mad Max'; Hugh Keays-Byrne To Return >>>

George Miller's 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Delayed Again, Not Expected To Shoot Until 2012

After having shooting plans pushed back earlier this year, George Miller's "Mad Max: Fury Road" has once again hit a snag and is set for yet another significant delay.

Key crew were reportedly informed this week that pre-production is not expected to begin until August or November of next year with shooting likely to begin around February of 2012 again in the Broken Hill Region of New South Wales, Australia. The delay comes very late in the game with some reports that pre-production was in fact already underway for its planned 2011 shoot — up to 130 cars and bikes were reportedly constructed and some second unit sequences already shot.

While no specific reason is given for the latest delay, the fact the Australian dollar is sky high at the moment looks to be playing a major part. Nearing parity with its U.S. counterpart, the strong dollar would probably increase costs by up to 20 percent compared to original plans; no doubt an unattractive prospect for American producers and financiers.

>>> George Miller's 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Delayed Again, Not Expected To Shoot Until 2012 >>>

Charlize Theron To Play Amputee In 'Mad Max,' Aussie Olympian Annabelle Williams Will Be Stunt Double

It looks like Charlize Theron's character in the forthcoming double bill of "Mad Max" films from director George Miller will be missing part of a limb.

In an interview with ABC (via Moviehole), Australian paralympic swimmer Annabelle Williams, whose left arm was amputated below the elbow, reveals that she will be a stunt double for Theron in the upcoming film.

"I got a phone call from one of the people at [the production company] and they said it's got a $200 million budget. My mum was sitting there and we were just like 'What?' Then they said that the lead actress was Charlize Theron and I nearly died. And then I thought to myself the resemblance (between Theron and myself) is striking." She laughed, adding: "Not at all. And she's about a foot taller than me."

Once she was given the thumbs up to be Theron's double in the film, she was put immediately into training to learn Muay Thai. She reveals about the action scenes in the film, "They are going to film me from a very long distance for the fighting so that they don't have to CGI out her arm. I will be her, but just not [in] the face."

The film(s), originally slated to begin filming this month, were pushed back to February as Miller builds his own 3D rigs and perfects the technology he's developing for the shoot. The two films -- with the rumored titles being "Mad Max: Fury Road" and "Mad Max: Furiosa" -- will star quite an array of talent including Tom Hardy (taking over Mel Gibson's iconic role), Nicholas Hoult, Riley Keough, Zoe Kravitz, Adelaide Clemens and Teresa Palmer.

No word on release dates yet but don't expect to see anything until 2012.

>>> Charlize Theron To Play Amputee In 'Mad Max,' Aussie Olympian Annabelle Williams Will Be Stunt Double >>>

Weekend Box Office: Shia LeBeouf Now Has Six Straight No. 1 Movies... Who Let This Happen?

"Money Never Sleeps" indeed. Who takes the credit for the "Wall Street" sequel opening? As little as this might mean ($60 million domestic seems like the ceiling for latter-day Oliver Stone), it's a victory when studios can get a September release to an opening around $20 million. Credit to the headliners - the combination of one-time heavy hitter Michael Douglas in his signature role (akin to Stallone returning to Rocky or Rambo) and box office kid dynamo Shia LeBeouf likely meant a safe bet for curious viewers, in addition to fans of the $43 million-grossing first film twenty-three years ago.

We'll guess this is a vote for topicality, so regardless of the quality of the movie (irrelevant - this is a box office discussion), good for the American people. If they completely rejected this film (and, mind you, this opening isn't exactly a record breaker), then you could have considered it a referendum against the increasingly not-with-it Oliver Stone, but also yet another rejection of a film about topical issues. The war in the Middle East has yet to produce a hit, but here we are in the recession and people will pay to see Michael Douglas bilking people out of their cash and smiling all the way to the bank.

It looks like Warner Bros. is gonna take a mulligan on "Legend of the Guardians." With Zack Snyder behind this action epic, they were likely hoping similar results to when George Miller directed "Happy Feet." Of course, even with 3D-inflated prices, this opening is less than a fourth of what "Happy Feet" scored in its opening frame in 2006. The problem probably lies in the animation-style, as the owls in the picture appear difficult to distinguish. Having no big names above the title also didn't help, but let's face it - sometimes no one wants to see a movie. And whether it's Zack Snyder or Jean-Luc Godard, you're not going to get modern-day audiences, adults or kids, into a theater to watch an animated action picture about owls.

Fortunately for the studio, "The Town" continued to do solid business, approaching $50 million after two weekends. Ben Affleck's crime thriller is most likely the biggest step in rehabilitating the one-time A-Lister. The question is, does he try to pursue more lead roles, or does he become a Redford-like hyphenate? He's only got the new Terrence Malick picture on deck, so could we see a return to the action hero Affleck? Maybe he'll direct a third crime picture set around Boston based on a best-seller? Or maybe his promise will wither in another "Gigli."

Screen Gems benefited from a solid hold for "Easy A," which was impressive not only in that it managed a strong second weekend, but the film also outdistanced the similarly-themed "You Again." Even with the suddenly-everywhere Betty White, 'Again' couldn't score numbers equal to Kristen Bell's other DOA lead role of '10, "When In Rome." This likely puts her leading-lady career on ice for now, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see her pop up in more ensemble comedies.

"Devil" had a typical horror slide into sixth, just barely getting past "Resident Evil: Afterlife." Both are pretty much done, though "Devil" is going to need a stretch to get to $40 million. No such negativity for 'Afterlife,' easily the highest-grossing film in the series worldwide, and this a series that usually scores massively on DVD. 'Afterlife' can thank the 3D prices, but that was only a small consolation to "Alpha And Omega," which plummeted in weekend two, and may be the lowest-grossing wide release film in 3D ever.

In limited release, Woody Allen's latest "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" took in a total $163K on 6 screens, but was topped on per screen average by "Waiting for 'Superman'." The Davis Guggenheim-directed doc about the American education system premiered on only 4 screens, taking in an average of $35k each: a solid opening for the sophomore effort from the same team that brought us "An Inconvenient Truth." Meanwhile, Ryan Reynolds-in-a-coffin thriller "Buried" opened on 11 screens, bringing in a modest $104.5K. Our review from TIFF was lukewarm, finding Reynolds' strong performance to be under-served by a plot line that was "ultimately marred by a number of implausibilities and some tepid political commentary." The picture is currently at 87% on Rotten Tomatoes, so it remains to be seen what a wider opening and Reynolds' name can do for the take on this one.

1. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (Fox) - $19 million
2. Legend of the Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'Hoole (WB) - $16.3 million
3. The Town (WB) - $16 million ($49.1 mil.)
4. Easy A (Sony) - $10.7 million ($32.8 mil.)
5. You Again (Disney) - $8.3 million
6. Devil (Universal) - $6.5 million ($21.7 mil.)
7. Resident Evil: Afterlife (Sony) - $4.9 million ($52 mil.)
8. Alpha And Omega (Lionsgate) - $4.7 million ($15.1 mil.)
9. Takers (Sony) - $1.6 million ($54.9 mil.)
10. Inception (WB) - $1.2 million ($287 mil.)

>>> Weekend Box Office: Shia LeBeouf Now Has Six Straight No. 1 Movies... Who Let This Happen? >>>