A new article on Far Out Magazine revisits how Jeremy Renner nearly landed the lead role in George Miller's 2015 reboot Mad Max: Fury Road before Tom Hardy was cast as Max Rockatansky. Co-star Zoe Kravitz confirmed Renner underwent a chemistry test for the part before Hardy was signed, highlighting how close the casting came to going a different way. The revelation matters as a piece of film trivia given Fury Road's enduring status as a modern classic.

Miller, who ditched original star Mel Gibson, considered Hardy, Renner and Armie Hammer for the role before choosing Hardy. The production itself was notoriously gruelling, involving a $150million budget, 150 custom vehicles (90 destroyed), Namibian desert shoots and reported tension between Hardy and co-star Charlize Theron; the film went on to earn almost $400million and win six Academy Awards from ten nominations. Renner, meanwhile, went on to enjoy major success elsewhere, appearing in further Avengers and Mission Impossible instalments as well as Arrival and Wind River.