It was the sequel that nobody asked for, coming 30 years after the previous installment, and with a re-cast lead in the title role. And yet Mad Max: Fury Road ended up being the best, most satisfying summer blockbuster of 2015. Actually, it was one of the best movies of that year, period, and ended up being one of the very few genre films to get recognized with any Oscars. Ever since, fans have been wondering just when director George Miller would be returning to the post-nuclear exploits of Max Rockatansky.

Well, take this latest captial-R Rumor with the usual hefty giant grain of salt, but if this new report from Australia’s Herald Sun (via Collider) has any truth to it, then it seems that the a Mad Max: Fury Road follow-up is not only already in pre-production at Warner Bros., it could actually start filming in Australia as soon as this year with George Miller returning to direct the film. Even more surprising: The project will allegedly be a Furiosa prequel. Here is the actual quote from the Herald Sun:

The prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road starring Tom Hardy will be filmed in and around Broken Hill. Pre-production is gearing up on the multi-million-dollar action-packed Warner Bros franchise, with NSW’s Broken Hill Studios Miller’s first choice for shooting, which could start as soon as later this year. Mad Max 4 was plagued by delays when extended rain turned the desert green and the uber director had to move location to Namibia. The script is said to focus on the backstory of Furiosa, played by Oscar winner Charlize Theron.

And here is where I come in and burst everyone’s bubble. First off, director George Miller has already stated several times that although he has more Mad Max stories left in him—two more actually, to give Tom Hardy a trilogy just like Mel Gibson had—he wasn’t planning to go back to Mad Max’s post-nuclear world right away, instead making his directorial effort with a completely separate project. Now, he could have changed his mind about that, but if he has, he’s kept very quiet about it.

Second, if it’s actually a prequel focusing on Charlize Theron’s character Furiosa (which, I think, is what we all really want) then why would Tom Hardy’s Mad Max character even be involved? They didn’t even meet until the events of Fury Road. Unless it’s a half prequel/half sequel kind of set up filled with flashbacks, which is a distinct possibility, if this is indeed happening.

Then again, you just never know, it all might very well be true. We’ll have to wait for Warner Bros. to confirm or deny it. In the meantime, we’ll just have to be content to watch Fury Road on cable or on Blu-ray for the millionth time.

What do you think of fifth visit to world of Mad Max? Are you as excited about the potential as we are? Let us know your thoughts down below in the comments.

Image: Warner Bros.