Mel Gibson casting news usually focuses on the actors scandals. Mel Gibson created the screen role of Mad Max, so when Gibson wasn't cast in the reboot, there was talk that Mel's problematic image problem had something to do with it. That wasn't the case.

Mad Max director George Miller said he was "heartbroken" over the recent Mel Gibson scandals. Miller gave Gibson his breakthrough role thirty years ago in the Road Warrior movies. Miller originally wanted to cast Gibson in the Road Warrior film as his signature role of Max Rockatansky. The movie was delayed and Miller had to cast Tom Hardy, 36, in the role.

"I have a great affection for Mel. I was really heartbroken to see him go into that," the 69-year-old Australian director said in a recent interview. "But it's a new time. I hope Mel gets to act in more movies because I think he's a wonderful actor. But I think he's an amazingly good director."

Gibson was simply too old. Not that he wouldn't still look good next to a bleach-blonde Tina Turner.

Miller says "Mad Max: Fury Road" is basically a three-day car chase. Not much dialogue. The new film also stars Charlize Theron. It is scheduled for release next year.

Miller said "You're picking up the characters and the backstory as you go. And in order to create that backstory, we found ourselves having written two other screenplays. One of them is completed. The other one is in the form of a kind of unedited novel. So by the time we got there, we realized we've got a couple more Mad Max stories to tell, and that ... required us to cast someone who was younger."

Miller played scenes from "Mad Max: Fury Road" at the Comic-Con International geek fest in San Diego. Miller says the film is still being completed. This will be his first live action film since he made the animated "Happy Feet" in 2006 and the sequel in 2011.

"Roman Polanski had a saying, which is that there's only one perfect place for the camera at any given time. And I learned that on the animations," Miller said in the interview. "You can move the camera wherever you like. But to tell the story -- it was interesting how much you could influence the story by simply shooting from another perspective.

"Particularly a film like this where we wanted to shoot like real, old-school," Miller said. "Every car you see smashed is a real car. Every stuntman you see is a real person, and in many cases the cast. ... It's like being in the middle of a real-life video game getting that footage. One, two inches too far one way or the other or a miscue and you've got disaster on your hands. It was both exhilarating and very wearying."

 Miller said there were only minor injuries suffered during the making of the film. Mad Max: Fury Road hits theaters next May.