Mel Gibson is to return as apocalyptic road warrior Mad Max in a role that could make him $25m (�16.3m), according to reports.

Gibson, who first starred in the role in 1979, has announced he will sign up for a fourth film, to go into production in Australia next May.

It will be called Fury Road, and has a budget of $104m (�67.9m), produced by 20th Century Fox, according to trade daily Variety.

The last Mad Max film was Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, which was in 1985. It also starred Tina Turner.

The Mad Max franchise made Gibson, until then a little-known Australian actor, an international star.

The films starred Gibson as a police officer in post-apocalyptic Australia

Mad Max is the tale of a law enforcement officer, "Mad" Max Rockatansky, who battles motorcycle gangs in a post-nuclear apocalypse Australia.

The following two films, The Road Warrior and Beyond Thunderdome were big-budget Hollywood action movies.

The three Mad Max films grossed $69m (�46m) in the US.

The Fury Road script has been written by George Miller, who wrote and directed the first three films.

According to Variety, Miller has been working on the script for the last three years.

Box office favourite

No details were given about the film, other than it will see Mad Max return to the post-nuclear Australian outback.

Gibson, 49, returns to the role after a year which has seen him return as one of the biggest box office draws in Hollywood.

He received a $25m pay cheque two years ago for his leading role in the American War of Independence drama The Patriot.

He starred in M Night Shyamalan's Signs, as a troubled preacher whose farm is afflicted by mysterious crop circles.

The film took over $60m (�40m) in its first three days in the US.

Gibson is also starring in a Hollywood remake of Dennis Potter's The Singing Detective, which will be shown at next month's Sundance film festival.