These days it’s hard to go a week without hearing about some remake/reboot coming out of Hollywood. Few of these films can claim they’ve been in the rumor mill for as long as Mad Max: Fury Road.  After two decades, however, actual development is occurring  on the next installment of the Mad Max franchise.

Variety is reporting that Charlize Theron (The Italian Job, Hancock) and Tom Hardy (Black Hawk Down, Star Trek: Nemesis, Bronson) have both been cast in Fury Road.  Now, as interesting as that casting is everyone is still anxiously waiting to find out if Mel Gibson will reprise his role as Mad Max. When Director George Miller was asked about this he was vague to say the least, “It could be Mel, it could be anyone.”

Whether Gibson is involved or not I’m left wondering if this particular film needs a sequel (as this seems to be) or an outright reboot.  I mean this property has been dormant for over twenty years so the majority of current movie goers have no idea what the world of Mad Max is all about.

For those who may remember, they probably have memories of Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. Perhaps more specifically, images of Tina Turner and awkward cage match duels.  If that’s the case, it may not be the best memory for people to have. Don’t get me wrong, Thunderdome was fun, but not the best jumping off point if you’re looking to woo a new generation of Mad Max fans.  Especially when you factor in the serious tone films of this nature have these days, far from the campy 80′s fair Thunderdome brought us.

Nevertheless, I’m curious to see where Fury Road leads. Theron and Hardy are great additions to be sure. Coincidentally, it seems Theron is gravitating to post-apocalyptic roles these days as she’ll soon be seen in The Road.  Or, she just has a thing for films with “road” in the title. No release date has been set for Mad Max: Fury Road but we’ll keep you posted.

Its been some time since I was interested in a movie featuring Mel Gibson. In the past, his work in movies like Mad Max, We Were Soldiers, Payback, Braveheart and the Lethal Weapon franchise showed that he knows how to play someone on the edge who does what’s necessary to get the job done. Plus, those characters weren’t afraid to kick some ass. Now, as seen in this new trailer for Edge of Darkness, it seems Gibson is returning to the kind of role that made me a fan of his in the first place.

In this new film, written by William Monahan and directed by Martin Campbell, Gibson plays a Boston detective whose daughter is killed when a hit targeted at him goes wrong. Of course, he’s not going to let that one go so he starts his own investigation to determine what happened. Once he digs deeper he discovers a larger conspiracy and that his daughter may have been the target of the hit all along. Plus, I’m sure he probably kicks a bit of ass along the way.

With the caliber of people involved including screenwriter Monahan, who’s recent work on The Departed is top notch, director Campbell who showed his action prowess with Goldeneye and Casino Royale and with Gibson seemingly returning to form in a role showcasing his talents and his dark side, this film looks pretty interesting. Although, it does remind me a bit of Liam Neeson in Taken, which could turn out well for this film seeing as how Taken did quite well.

Edge of Darkness hits theaters next January. Until then, be sure to click through and check out the trailer.

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Here’s a list of some of the new movie and TV shows coming to DVD and Blu-ray this week that we’re looking forward to seeing. Also, there’s some classic and not-so-classic movies hitting Blu-ray for the first time this week as well.

Of all the new releases, we’re particularly interested in the Blu-ray versions of movies like Braveheart, Gladiator and M*A*S*H as well as the latest season of Heroes — season 3 if you’re wondering — also on Blu-ray.

Check them out.

Movies

Braveheart ~ Mel Gibson (Blu-ray)

Bring it On: Fight to the Finish ~ Christina Milian, David Starzyk, Nicki SooHoo, and Gabrielle Dennis (DVD)

The Girl Next Door (Unrated Edition) ~ Emile Hirsch, Elisha Cuthbert, Timothy Olyphant (Blu-ray)

Gladiator ~ Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, and Oliver Reed (Blu-ray)

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