Fury Road, Latest Mad Max, in Preproduction

NEW YORK — Australian director George Miller says preproduction work will begin next week on Fury Road, the fourth installment in the Mad Max series. But Miller, who directed the first Mad Max film in 1979, was coy about whether Mel Gibson will reprise his role as the original Road Warrior.

At a press conference to announce the new Warner Bros. movie, according to Australia's ABC News, Miller said of the title role: "It could be Mel, it could be anyone." Australian actor Sam Worthington (Terminator: Salvation) also is rumored to be part of the cast, as is actress Charlize Theron.

Miller meanwhile unveiled two of the vehicles slated to appear in Fury Road. One is Max's supercharged Interceptor. The second is a souped-up pickup of indeterminate origin.

With a rumored $100 million budget, filming is slated to begin in August 2010 in New South Wales, for a planned 2011 release. The original movie was shot in Victoria.

Inside Line says: Now that we're all living in the real post-apocalyptic era, will Max still seem relevant to the latest generation of filmgoers? — Paul Lienert, Correspondent