AusGamers was recently contacted by the duo of Jamie Blanks (director of Urban Legend) and Donal Gibson (needs no introduction) who, last week, released a demo of Donal voicing Max in an attempt to get the attention of Avalanche Studios for their upcoming Mad Max videogame treatment.

The demo went mad across the interwebs with thousands of fans of Donal's interpretation of Max taking to Twitter and Facebook requesting that Avalanche Studios give Mel's brother a chance to portray the iconic Aussie character, however, it looks like the effort might have been just a little too late.

"We understand that Avalanche Studios would like to take a different route with the project," the pair told AusGamers. "We wish them all the best, and every success with the Mad Max videogame. We want to take this opportunity to thank the gaming community, and most especially the many fans worldwide, for their positive reaction to the voice demo and for all of their generous support. We'd like to add that we are both looking forward to our new projects in the future. Many Thanks!"

There's still no official word from within the Avalanche camp, but one part of our crusade still remains a positive -- that Max will maintain his Aussie personality, we're just sad that the character couldn't remain within the Gibson family as well.

"As an Aussie film director and die hard Mad Max fan, I felt compelled to put Donal out there as a candidate for the role," Jamie added. "After learning of the campaign to ensure Max retained his Aussie accent, I immediately thought of my friend, and the amazing contribution he could make to the franchise and the character. I believe it truly would have been perfect casting on so many levels. To my ears, he was the authentic Road Warrior -- and he totally nailed the delivery of the short script we conceived.

"After seeing the responses of so many Mad Max fans to his voice demo, it would appear that many people felt likewise. I was really looking forward to playing the game and hearing that authentic Gibson voice while unleashing vehicular mayhem and taking out the scum of the wasteland. It would have provided the link with the beloved films we Mad Max fans have treasured for years," Jamie concluded. "I want to personally thank Stephen Farrelly and AusGamers for all their work and passion to preserve the authenticity of the virtual Mad Max."

With Gamescom fast approaching, we'll hopefully learn more about the casting behind Mad Max, but for now, have one last listen to Donal's Max embedded below.