The US almost had its own version of "Mad Max", quite independent of the Gibson vehicle. "Biker Heaven" was to be the sequel to "Easy Rider". Written by Michael O'Donoghue, Nelson Lyon and Terry Southern, it takes place in 2068, after a nuclear war, when the US is divided up into various tribal areas, all run by biker gangs: Cannibal Cops, Black Panzers (an Afro-neoNazi gang), Savage Sluts, and so on. Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper were to reprise their roles as Captain America and Billy, brought back from the dead by Jack Nicholson, who was to play the Biker God. There are some great scenes in it, but my favorite is near the beginning when Cpt. America and Billy grind the skull of Crazy Horse into powder, then snort it like coke, thus giving them the courage to embark on their adventure (the reclaiming of the Gasden flag).
"Biker Heaven" was to have been filmed in 1981-82, well before "Mad Max" was known in the States. But the egos of the actors -- especially Hopper's -- made it impossible, and so "Biker" remains a forgotten script, a copy of which sits on my bookshelf.
DP