A "Mad Max: Fury Road" sequel is already in the initial stages of development.
This much was revealed by the blockbuster movie's director George Miller in an interview with Deadline Hollywood.
The 70-year-old Australian director, who helmed the original "Mad Max" films which catapulted Mel Gibson to stardom, was however cautious in giving out details on the future of the franchise.
"The more I speculate about what's happening, the more I try to avoid spoilers this far out, and also I find myself talking around in circles," the "Happy Feet" director said.
"So the best thing I can say is that we're definitely in discussion about making more of these, but the timing of it, I'm really not sure," he explained.
"Probably won't be called Wasteland. I can say that," he added, referring to the "Mad Max: Fury Road" sequel. "It was just the working title we gave it."
The post-apocalyptic tale featuring outlandish four-wheeled vehicles, flamboyant characters and barren wastelands earned $350 million worldwide.
Aside from its impressive showing at the U.S. and foreign box office, the film also received excellent reviews from movie critics, which has boosted its chances of getting an Oscar nomination.
The director from down under nevertheless assured fans that the movie's star Tom Hardy will be making a comeback in the upcoming sequels.
"We'll definitely see more of Tom," Miller said.
Asked whether Gibson will appear in the "Mad Max: Fury Road" sequel, the veteran director said that this was unlikely to happen.
"Not in these movies, for a very simple reason," he said. "If Mel, who is Max in a lot of people's memories, appeared in the next movie, it would pull audiences out of the movie for a bit, and we worked so hard to keep people immersed in the movie as much as possible."
In an earlier interview with the Huffington Post, Miller related the circumstances which led to Warner Bros. decision to exclude the "Lethal Weapon" star from the "Mad Max" reboot.
According to Miller, Warner Bros. actually wanted Gibson to once again portray the character which made him a household name.
Unfortunately, 9/11 happened and there was a lot of pressure for the director to work on "Happy Feet."
By the time they studio was set to do "Fury Road," Gibson was no longer the ideal candidate for the role.
"By the time we were ready for "Fury Road" again, Mel had all those troubles," the director shared.
"It also definitely got to the stage where it wasn't like "Unforgiven," where it plays with an older guy," he added. "It was definitely the younger guy, the same guy."
But with Tom Hardy's impressive performance as the stone-faced road warrior, Gibson's presence in the "Mad Max: Fury Road" sequel may no longer be necessary to ensure the film's success.
