It’s a little surprising that post-apocalyptic prequel Mad Max: Furiosa is coming together so quickly, especially after predecessor Fury Road spent decades stuck in development hell. It’s only been six years since the fourth installment in George Miller’s action franchise arrived to score universal critical acclaim, box office success and awards season glory, but Furiosa is set to start shooting before the end of the year and has been given a June 2023 release date.
Fury Road is without a doubt one of the finest blockbusters of the modern era, combining precision-engineered choreography and set pieces with a pair of solid central performances from Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron to deliver a pulse-pounding and relentless chase movie that hauled in $375 million and landed ten Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and Best Director, ultimately walking away with six fully deserved prizes in the technical categories.
Theron might not be returning despite the latest entry in the series putting Furiosa front and center, but Anya Taylor-Joy is a more than suitable replacement. The 25 year-old is one of the fastest-rising stars in the industry, recently scooping a Golden Globe for her work in Netflix’s acclaimed miniseries The Queen’s Gambit, and in a new interview, the actress admitted she can’t wait to get started on the project.
“I was amazed by this incredible mind of George Miller. It’s difficult to put into words. I feel so humbled and grateful. I think the first thing I thought was, ‘I am so excited to work so hard’. The level of commitment that has been shown by those who came before me, I endeavor to match that. That makes me really excited. I have so much respect for the originators of this crazy world and this collection of characters. I am excited to work really hard.
I fell in love with Furiosa because of the way Charlize presented her. She did such an incredible job. It was so beautiful. I can’t even think about trying to step into her shoes. It has to be something different because it just can’t be done.”
Meanwhile, Chris Hemsworth shared his excitement as well on social media, saying:
“Great press conference discussing mad max Furiosa. Huge thanks to George Miller and Doug Mitchell for the opportunity and state and federal government for all their support and making it possible to shoot here in NSW Australia. Can’t wait to kick it off. Gonna pour my heart, soul, blood sweat and tears into this one!!”
Furiosa is set to be the biggest film production ever mounted in Australia, which indicates that the budget could be significantly higher than Fury Road‘s $150 million, and we can only imagine what sort of insanity Miller has planned when it comes to the action sequences. With any luck, we’ll get some more updates on that front soon.