Mad Max: Fury Road to Shoot in January 2012

Those who loathe the Hollywood trend of remaking classics and revisiting old franchises look away now: Mad Max: Fury Road, the fourth film in the Mad Max series since 1985's Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, is set to start shooting in January of next year. It's not the worst thing; I actually think it's a good idea. You've got George Miller, the writer and director of all three previous films, behind the camera once again.

Pre-production will begin later this year, prepping for the January shoot. The vehicles are built, the movie is "designed," the principal cast is ready and the funding is there. There's no stopping this bad boy. Assuming the weather permits, shooting will commence on schedule in Broken Hill, New South Wales. All of this information comes from Miller itself, so it's good as gold.

The film will also feature a record-breaking 298 stunts, so if anybody was worried that they wouldn't be pulling out all the stops, well don't be.

While Mel Gibson has shown us that he still has plenty of fury these days, he will not be returning to the role that launched his career. Instead, British actor Tom Hardy (Bronson, Inception) will be taking his place.

What do you guys think? Too much Mad Max? I confess to never having seen the films myself, something I plan to rectify soon, as I'm a big fan of Hardy and am fairly excited for the film. If shooting starts as planned, you can plan to see Mad Max: Fury Road in theaters sometime in 2013.