Original 'Mad Max' Mel Gibson attends premiere of new version

LOS ANGELES, May 8 (UPI) -- It only makes sense that Mel Gibson made an appearance at the Mad Max: Fury Road Los Angeles premiere Thursday night. After all he starred in the 1979 original film it's based on.

The 59-year-old actor played the original Max Rockatansky in the action movie, and British actor Tom Hardy portrays the same character in the 2015 rendition.

"It's great to have Mel here," Hardy told Us Weekly about the veteran actor's surprise appearance. "I didn't expect him to come. When I got the part, it was good, but suddenly it struck me, 'Everybody loves Mel. And I'm the new kid, and they're going to hate me. So I suck already, and I haven't even started,'" he said.

George Miller created the first Mad Max film over 35 years ago and came back to direct the latest version. "I didn't know that was gonna happen," the director told USA Today at the premiere about Gibson showing up. "That was wonderful, like I was time-traveling in some weird way."

Since the director and Gibson have already worked together, Hardy had other concerns about the role.

"George created Mad Max with Mel, [he's] synonymous [with the role]. I've just inherited the legacy. And it's my job just to turn up and do as he asks. I'm a different person to Mel. But at the end of the day, it's George's further development of his imagination with this character."

Mad Max: Fury Road opens in theaters May 15.