The Road Not Yet Taken

Director George Miller made it official Mad Max 4: Fury Road will begin pre-production next week and will be shot around the Australian state of New South Wales starting in August next year.

Speaking at a presser in Sydney this past Saturday, Miller revealed that he's "still in the middle of casting" and isn't sure who'll be involved as yet, putting doubt on rumors that popped recently about Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron staring in the sequel.

Australian media reports have been quick to suggest that Aussie's own Sam Worthington is another name on the list, (I like that idea too!) but Miller is keeping his options open for now - "It could be Mel [Gibson], it could be anyone".

Expected to be one of the largest and most ambitious live action films ever made in Australia, the pic comes at a time when the Australian film production industry is in trouble.

With the local economy holding up better than many other developed nations during the financial crisis, the Australian dollar has soared to record highs which has caused various international film productions to skip out on production Down Under due to the expense, notably last week's exit of the "Green Lantern" film.

Thirty weeks of the filming are expected to take place in and around Broken Hill, the same area where a major portion of Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior was shot.