I hadn't quite realised the issues over Fury Road had been resolved - a row between Miller and the film company regarding overspend I think. I did read one or two of the vehicles lasted a couple of hours before needing new transmissions/engines etc.
There where a ton of issues, some of which are still hanging around in the courts I believe. Reshoots that weren't greenlit by the studios, whole scenes straying from that of the original screenplay presented to Warner execs, some of which led the film to an R-rating instead of the originally agreed PG-13. There where even certain unsubstantiated rumor's that Miller and his team kept shooting even when execs wanted to pull them out, full guerilla filmmaking style.
It's all twaddle of course, especially considering the film supposedly came in underbudget (according to Miller, at least).
It's a great example of neither side getting what they want but the end product being far better for it. The creatives need the suits to rein them in and the suits need the creatives to make bold decisions. It's a delicate balancing act and the symbiotic nature of those sorts of relationships has ultimately led to some incredible filmmaking. Rarely does anything good come of one side having more power then the other. David Lynch is the only true 'auteur' filmmaker who benefits from being creatively untethered, but that's only because he's so outlandishly un-conventional with a set in stone fanbase.
Edit: Oh, and Paul Thomas Anderson.
