The veteran Australian filmmaker, who created the Mad Max franchise in 1979 with Mel Gibson in the lead role, claims the studio was contracted to pay his company, Kennedy Miller Mitchell, a USD 7 million bonus if the sequel came in at a final cost of less than USD 157 million, reported Sydney Morning Herald.
The dispute is being litigated in the Supreme Court of New South Wales where Kennedy Miller Mitchell is based, rather than the US, and revolves around whether it was the studio or Miller's fault for budget overruns.
"(But the production company) claims (Warner Bros) made a series of decisions which caused substantial changes and delays to 'Mad Max,' which led to additional costs and expenses and that (the studio) wrongly took them into account in its over-budget calculation. If those costs are left out of account (Kennedy Miller Mitchell) says that 'Mad Max' came in under budget," Justice David Hammerschlag said.
In a statement to Deadline, Warner Bros said, "We disagree and will vigorously defend against these claims."
Miller has also been rumoured for other directing assignments on the Warner Bros, including "Man of Steel 2" and "Green Lantern Corps".