There was a 30 year gap between Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and Mad Max: Fury Road, but it's taken less than a decade for visionary filmmaker George Miller to follow suit with next installment in his post-apocalyptic epic: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.
Furiosa explores the backstory of Imperator Furiosa, Charlize Theron's breakout character first introduced in 2015's Fury Road. In that film, a battle-hardened Furiosa teams up with Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy) to free the imprisoned wives of the warlord Immortan Joe. Mad Max: Fury Road earned 10 nominations at the 88th Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, and won six: Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing.
Ahead of Furiosa's release, here is what you need to know:
What is 'Furiosa' about?
Furiosa is a standalone prequel set 45 years after the world collapsed. As such, it centers on a younger Furiosa, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, and reveals how she became the hardened warrior we meet in Fury Road. During Brazil's CCXP, Taylor-Joy said the movie "is a story grit, survival, and impossible hope."
Here is the official synopsis:
As the world fell, young Furiosa is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falls into the hands of a great Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus. Sweeping through the Wasteland, they come across the Citadel presided over by The Immortan Joe. While the two Tyrants war for dominance, Furiosa must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way home.
Furiosa has been in the works for longer than you might expect: The screenplay, originally conceived as backstory for Theron, was written before a single frame of Fury Road was shot. Originally, Miller wanted to use de-aging technology so that Theron could reprise the role; however, since "there's still an uncanny valley," as he told The New York Times, the director instead cast Taylor-Joy in the part.
Is there a trailer?
Yes, and you can watch it now:
Who else is in the 'Furiosa' cast?
Chris Hemsworth co-stars opposite Taylor-Joy as Warlord Dementus. The actor described his character as "a very violent, insane, brutal person that is born from the Wasteland... He has been birthed into a space where it's kill or be killed, and he's learned to rule with an iron fist."
The cast also includes Alyla Browne as an even younger version of Furiosa and Tom Burke in an undisclosed role. (The Mank actor took over for Yahya Abdul-Mateen II after he had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts.) A younger version of Immortan Joe, previously portrayed by the late Hugh Keays-Byrne in Mad Max: Fury Road, also appears.
Who's returning behind the scenes?
George Miller is back as director and penned the script with his Fury Road co-writer, Nico Lathouris. Furiosa is produced by Miller and his longtime partner, two-time Oscar-nominated producer Doug Mitchell (1996's Babe and Mad Max: Fury Road).
Among the Fury Road Oscar winners returning for the film are production designer Colin Gibson, film editor Margaret Sixel, sound mixer Ben Osmo, costume designer Jenny Beavan, and makeup designer Lesley Vanderwalt.
The Furiosa creative team also includes first assistant director PJ Voeten and second unit director and stunt coordinator Guy Norris, director of photography Simon Duggan, composer Tom Holkenborg (aka Junkie XL, who composed the score for Fury Road), Oscar-winning sound designer Robert Mackenzie (Hacksaw Ridge), editor Eliot Knapman, visual effects supervisor Andrew Jackson, and colorist Eric Whipp.
When does 'Furiosa' come out?
Warner Bros. will release Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga in theaters on May 24, 2024.
Is there still a 'Mad Max 5' in the works?
Yes, there is. Hardy signed on to Mad Max: The Wasteland; however, that film has yet to start production.
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