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Mel Gibson was ditched for younger actor in action franchise Mad Max after director George Miller was left 'heartbroken' over star's recent scandals

By Alicia Vrajlal For Daily Mail Australia and Associated Press

Published: 17:58 EST, 10 August 2014 | Updated: 02:34 EST, 11 August 2014

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He landed his breakthrough role starring in the 1979 Max Mad film, before going on to star in all three flicks of the action trilogy.

But Mel Gibson isn't starring in the next installment of the trilogy, and it seems his recent scandalous past is what cost him the job.

Mad Max director George Miller was 'heartbroken' over 58-year-old Gibson's string of scandals in recent years, and said plans for a new trilogy prompted him to pick a younger actor for revisiting the post-apocalyptic auto action franchise.

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Out of work: Mad Max director George Miller (left) was 'heartbroken' over Mel Gibson's (right) string of scandals in recent years, and said plans for a new trilogy prompted him to pick a younger actor for revisiting the post-apocalyptic auto action franchise

The 69-year-old Australian director helped launch Gibson to stardom three decades ago in the trilogy featuring stark desert landscapes, intense car chases and a bleach blonde Tina Turner.

Miller had originally hoped to bring Gibson back for a fourth film in the role of Max Rockatansky.

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But a series of delays led to recasting, with Tom Hardy, 36, stepping into the road warrior's black boots.

'I have a great affection for Mel. I was really heartbroken to see him go into that,' Miller said in a recent interview.

Mel Gibson gets starring vehicle in 1979's Mad Max

Breakthrough role: Gibson starred in the 1979 Max Mad film, before going on to star in all three flicks of the action trilogy

'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's reputation began to take a downward spiral following his arrest for drink driving back in 2006 where he made foul-mouthed anti-Semitic remarks to the arresting police officer, yelling at him: 'F***g Jews... the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world. Are you a Jew?'

On August 17, 2006, he was sentenced to three years probation after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor drink-driving charge.

Although Gibson issued several apologies and sought treatment for alcoholism, his reputation was severely tarnished and he didn't work again until 2010's Edge Of Darkness, and he's had only three projects since then.

Following his multi-million dollar divorce from wife Robyn in 2009 - finalised two years later - Gibson went on to father a child with Russian pianist Oksana Grigorieva before a messy split in 2010.

Heartbroken: Miller decided not to cast Gibson in the new Max Max: Fury Road film after his string of recent scandals but said he still has great affection for the actor

Miller describes Mad Max: Fury Road as an extended chase taking place over three days.

The movie, due out next summer and also starring Charlize Theron, features minimal dialogue.

The screenplay consisted of storyboards -- sketches of each planned shot -- rather than a conventional script.

'You're picking up the characters and the backstory as you go,' Miller said.

'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 showed footage from Mad Max: Fury Road at the recent Comic-Con International in San Diego.

He's still finishing work on the movie, his return to live action after directing the animated Happy Feet in 2006 and 2011's sequel.

Controversial: Gibson's reputation began to take a downward spiral following his arrest for drink driving back in 2006 where he made foul-mouthed anti-Semitic remarks to the arresting police officer (pictured in 2013)

'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.

'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.'

There is, of course, a heightened sense of danger when you're moving said camera through a high-speed motorcycle and dune buggy chase in the harsh Australian outback -- not circling cute dancing penguins via computer software.

'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.'

There were only minor injuries during the shoot, Miller said.

Mad Max: Fury Road will roll into theatres next May.

The Comic-Con first look trailer for Mad Max: Fury Road