Everything to Know About the “Mad Max” Prequel “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”

From the release date to the cast, here’s what we know so far about the highly anticipated 'Mad Max' prequel

Imperator Furiosa is back — she just looks a little different.

Following the blockbuster release of 2015's Mad Max: Fury Road, director George Miller hinted on X (formerly Twitter) that there was "more to come" in the franchise," according to NME magazine. News soon broke that there would be two new films: Mad Max: The Wasteland and an origin story for Charlize Theron's character, Imperator Furiosa, appropriately named Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.

Miller originally hoped to have Theron star in the prequel, portraying a younger version of the post-apocalyptic heroine. However, after considering the de-aging VFX that Martin Scorsese used for his 2019 film The Irishman, he decided against it.

"For the longest time, I thought we could just use CG de-aging on Charlize, but I don't think we're nearly there yet," the director said in a May 2020 interview with The New York Times. Eventually, The Queen's Gambit star Anya Taylor-Joy was cast in the role of Furiosa. On an October 2020 episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, she spoke about finding out she'd won the role.

"It's difficult to put into words, I feel so humbled and grateful," Taylor-Joy said. "The first thing that went through my head when I found out I was going to do it was, 'I am so excited to work so hard. I am going to work so hard at this.' "

Thor alum Chris Hemsworth was also cast in the movie, and in June 2022, the actor confirmed that filming was underway. He shared the news by posting a photo of a clapperboard on social media. "A new journey in the Mad Max saga begins #FURIOSA," he wrote on X.

By October 2022, Taylor-Joy marked the completion of her work on Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga by sharing photos on Instagram. In one picture, the actress looks away from the camera outside by a tree, while another snap features Miller standing beside what appears to be an airplane.

"What. A . Rideeeee," Taylor-Joy wrote in the caption. "Thank you to those of the wasteland- the crazies who have run amok with me up and down this country. The most fun, the most resilient, the most talented."

Hemsworth and Taylor-Joy joined Miller at CinemaCon in Las Vegas in April 2024.

“This is the story of one woman’s relentless commitment to hope,” the actress told the audience. “I cannot wait to see this world realized on a really big screen.”

From the cast to the plot, here's everything to know about the highly-anticipated Mad Max prequel, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.

Who is in the cast of Furiosa?

On Oct. 13, 2020, Warner Bros. shared that Anya Taylor-Joy would be stepping into the role of Furiosa for the Mad Max prequel movie.

During a Nov. 11, 2022, appearance on The Graham Norton Show, the Last Night in Soho star spoke about her experience on set, revealing that she drove a car for the first time during Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga stunt training.

Host Graham Norton played a video, which Taylor-Joy had previously posted on Instagram, in which the actress drives a car toward the camera and then performs a "handbrake turn," spinning the car so it stops facing the opposite direction.

"What's really crazy and slightly upsetting about that is that that's my first time in a car," Taylor-Joy told Norton. "So I don't have a license, I can't parallel-park, I can't go on the highway. I still don't have one, but I can do that. At some point that will come in handy, I'm assuming."

Hemsworth also joined the cast as the main villain. However, the Avenger's Endgame alum apparently wasn't the obvious choice for the role. In an excerpt from author Kyle Buchanan's book Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road, producer P. J. Voeten shared details about how Miller chose Hemsworth.

"George saw Chris initially as a courtesy and then fell in love with the idea. He's going to play totally against type, the lead baddie," Voeten recalled.

Still, becoming a "baddie" wasn't easy for the Thor star. "I wasn't sure what I was going to do," he told Entertainment Weekly. "It was starting to get scary the closer I got to shooting. Then, all of a sudden, it clicked, and it was one of the best experiences I've had."

Tom Burke also joined the cast when he was chosen to replace Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who left the project due to a scheduling conflict.

What has Charlize Theron said about Anya Taylor-Joy taking over her Mad Max role?

Theron shared that she was disappointed that she wouldn't be reprising her role in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga during a July 6, 2020, interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

"Yeah, it's a little heartbreaking, for sure. I really love that character, and I'm so grateful that I had a small part in creating her. She will forever be someone I think of and reflect on fondly," she added.

However, on Nov. 14, 2022, Taylor-Joy suggested that there's no bad blood between the two actresses. At the New York City premiere of The Menu, Taylor-Joy told PEOPLE that she and Theron will sit down for dinner to talk all about filming Furiosa. "Charlize was sweet enough — I think both of us ended up in a situation where we were both so respectful of each other that we didn't want to reach out prior [to filming]," she said.

"The second it was over, once this press tour is over, we're having dinner and we're going to swap war stories for sure," Taylor-Joy added.

In a Dec. 7, 2022, interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Theron explained that she understood why Taylor-Joy didn't reach out to her after accepting the role of Furiosa.

"Who wants to pick up the phone and say, like, 'Hey, we're going to go do this without you.' No one wants to do that," Theron said. "So, I totally get that. And I love George. I know I'll talk to him again. I think it was just too hard."

Later in the interview, the Monster actress said she's "not mad about" Miller following Mad Max: Fury Road with a prequel instead of a sequel. "One of the greatest f------ actresses is picking up something that I only imagined," she said in reference to Taylor-Joy.

What is Furiosa about?

In Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa is a war captain serving the Immortan Joe, eventually turning against him to free his female breeders. The Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga film will explore the character's backstory.

During a 2021 press conference, Miller hinted about the complex Furiosa storyline, saying, "The one thing I can say about it, Fury Road ... within the film, happened over three days and two nights. This is a saga, happens over many years. So, there's a lot of different elements to it."

In June 2022, an official synopsis for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga was released.

"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," the description read. "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."

According to Miller, the film will be broken up into three distinct acts: I: Her Odyssey Begins, II: A Warrior Awakens and III: Ride Into Vengeance.

Who is directing Furiosa?

George Miller is directing Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. He is the creator of the entire Mad Max series, which he first launched with the original film in 1979, along with producer Byron Kennedy. He then directed or co-directed three sequels: Mad Max 2 (1981), Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) and Mad Max: Fury Road (2015).

He's also known for directing The Witches of Eastwick (1987) and Happy Feet (2006).

Hemsworth spoke about what it's like to work with Miller in a June 2023 interview with Entertainment Weekly. "He has the perfect combination of confidence and knowledge, but also a humility and a want to collaborate," the actor said.

Where was Furiosa filmed?

Furiosa was filmed in Australia. This was good news for Aussie-born Hemsworth, who said working on the film in his home country was a "dream come true."

On April 18, 2021, New South Wales state Premier Gladys Berejiklian tweeted that Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is "the biggest ever film to be made in Australia." She added that the project was "supporting more than 850 local jobs and bringing in $350 million to the economy."

Soon after wrapping, Taylor-Joy spoke about her experience on the Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga set during an interview with IndieWire. "I've been on a different planet for the last seven months," she said. "I think I need to sit down and attempt to try and digest what's happened over the last seven months. But I'm incredibly, incredibly proud of it, and so proud of all of the people I got to work with, and just the amount of love and effort and work that went into it, I'm excited to see it."

The actress added, "It's the dirtiest and the bloodiest I have ever been, which is saying something, genuinely saying something."

When will Furiosa be released?

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga will be released in theaters on May 24, 2024.

Is there a trailer for Furiosa?

The first peek at Furiosa was released in November 2023, with a second trailer dropping in March 2024.

The teasers show how the character Furiosa became the warrior featured in the original film.

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