Theron 'to star in Mad Max film'

Theron (l) and Hardy (r) are the only cast members reportedly confirmed

Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron is to star in a fourth Mad Max film alongside British actor Tom Hardy, according to industry paper Variety.

It is believed Hardy will take the role of "Mad" Max Rockatansky, played by Mel Gibson in the first three movies.

Set to start filming next August in Australia, Mad Max: Fury Road will be written and directed by George Miller.

The series revolves around a policeman turned "road warrior" living in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

Notorious

Released in 1979, the original Mad Max was a cult hit that inspired a 1981 sequel known as The Road Warrior in the US.

The third film, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, was released in 1985 and saw Gibson co-starring with singer Tina Turner.

A fourth instalment in the franchise was first mooted in 2002, though plans to shoot the film in Namibia the following year were subsequently called off.

Miller's most recent movie was the 2006 animated comedy Happy Feet, a sequel to which he is also directing.

Theron will next be seen in The Road, another film set in a post-apocalyptic landscape.

The South-African actress won an Academy Award for her role as serial killer Aileen Wournos in 2003 drama Monster.

Hardy was recently seen as Heathcliff in an ITV adaptation of Wuthering Heights and as Charles Bronson in a biopic of the notorious British prisoner.