British actor Tom Hardy has been tapped to step into Mel Gibson’s lead role in the new Mad Max movie.

Hardy, a 31-year-old actor who recently won acclaim in a British TV adaptation of Wuthering Heights, will star opposite Oscar winner Charlize Theron in the new movie, Mad Max: Fury Road, British Film Magazine editor Terence Doyle tells The Sunday Express.

“It’s a major coup for Tom, cementing his status as one of our biggest emerging stars. He’s a very versatile actor who is convincingly tough and macho but also hugely sensitive and subtle.”

The new project comes 25 years after the third movie in the series, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, which co-starred Tina Turner. Filming is expected to begin in Australia next year.