taken from IMDB.com news section:
Iraq Crisis Restrains Mad Max
Work on the latest Mad Max film has been halted due to a possible conflict with Iraq. The fourth installment of the action franchise - Fury Road - was set to start filming in Namibia in July, but cautious Fox executives want to wait until the Middle East situation has calmed before the project goes ahead. Chairman Jim Gianopulos says, “Any time you do a show like this, it is a massive undertaking with enormous prep time. In this case, it is about the movement of huge vehicles and a mass of people, and with the pending war and all the potential logistical consequences, we had the latitude to wait and let some of this stuff blow over before going into full-bore production.” Both original star Mel Gibson and director George Miller are signed to do the picture and are determined to film the blockbuster in Namibia. A release date of summer 2004 is in place but will be adapted according to when the production can get underway.