George Miller is taking a break from directing the Mad Max franchise to head up the 2016 Cannes Film Festival jury.
The filmmaker will become the first Australian to preside over the event later this year. Fury Road, the widely-acclaimed fourth instalment in the Mad Max saga, screened out out of competition at Cannes last year.
"What an unmitigated delight! To be there in the middle of this storied festival at the unveiling of cinematic treasures from all over the planet. To spend time in passionate discourse with fellow members of the jury," said Miller.
"Such an honour. I'll be there with bells on!"
"Throughout his career, George Miller has constantly experimented with a variety of genres, brilliantly reconciling mass audience expectations and the highest artistic standards," festival chiefs added.
"Mad Max broke the mould - an ultra-violent futuristic film that brought the action film genre a touch of class with its masterly combination of road movie, western and science fiction elements."
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Miller and the jury will decide the winner of the Palm d'Or during the festival, which takes place from May 11-22.
But just days after seemingly saying he'd never do another Mad Max film, Miller has surprised everyone by announcing he's got two more stories lines up and is interested in continuing the series.
