Anya Taylor-Joy fights the world (but mostly Chris Hemsworth) in new Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga trailer

Anya Taylor-Joy in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Anya Taylor-Joy in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
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If 2023 cinema was defined by bombs and bows, 2024 is shaping up to be the year of all-out action and miles and miles of sand. We’re not sure if there’s anyone out there who hasn’t at least heard of George Miller’s decade-defining Mad Max: Fury Road at this point, but if you’re one of the 1% and you were jazzed about the excellent early buzz for Ryan Gosling’s TheFall Guy and thought Dune: Part Two could have benefited from even more dunes, oh boy do we have a franchise for you.

Fury Road prequel Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is already one of the most fiercely-anticipated films of the year, and the latest trailer threatens to increase that hype to almost dangerous levels.

While Anya Taylor-Joy’s casting as a younger version of Charlize Theron’s iconic warrior was a somewhat controversial choice (Miller actually considered de-aging Theron but decided that the technology “would not have been persuasive”), she’s really proving herself here. Visibly brimming with anger and covered in mud and engine grease, she finds a way to make what’s essentially just a summary of the film sound like an epic mantra: “As a child, my world was forever changed. My mother was magnificent, then he took it all from me. My childhood, my mother, I want them back.”

“He” is a warlord named Dementus in a thrilling appearance by Chris Hemsworth. Imagine if Thor had never gotten sober, had to face down the apocalypse, and then gone absolutely batshit insane. That’s about what this guy’s got going on. It’s awesome.

Expectations for the nine-years-later prequel are certainly high, but it seems like Taylor-Joy, Hemsworth, and co. are more than up for the task. There’s also a pretty major callback to the first film at the end of the trailer, but we won’t spoil it for you here. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga premieres May 24 in theaters—preferably the biggest one you can find.