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2020 has brought some good news to moviegoers. It’s been five years since the release of George Miller’s Oscar award-winning film, Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), and fans have been begging for a stand-alone story about the beloved character in the film, “Furiosa.” Miller teased that a movie was coming for a few years and told The Independent in 2017, “Somewhere, if the planets align, there will be two other films.” “We dug down deep into the subtext, the backstory of all the characters, and indeed the world,” Miller explained, adding, “without really thinking about it, we wrote two other screenplays just as part of the bible of the stories.” Despite the teasing, it wasn’t until this year in May that he revealed to The New York Times he was casting the prequel to Fury Road, “Furiosa.”
On Tuesday Warner Bros. studios made the big announcement and revealed Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth , and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II were officially cast in prequel. Taylor will be playing the character originated by Charlize Theron in Fury, “Andromache the Scythian” or, “Andy.” In Fury, Andy leads a team of immortal warriors that have altered history throughout time. Since the movie is a prequel, Miller made the decision to cast an actress in her twenties to play the younger version of Theron’s character.
In July Theron told The Hollywood Reporter she respected Miller’s decision but admitted it was “a little heartbreaking.” The actress explained, “It’s a tough one to swallow. Listen, I fully respect George, if not more so in the aftermath of making Fury Road with him. He’s a master, and I wish him nothing but the best.” Theron added, “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. Obviously, I would love to see that story continue, and if he feels like he has to go about it this way, then I trust him in that manner. We get so hung up on the smaller details that we forget the thing that we emotionally tap into has nothing to do with that minute thing that we’re focusing on.”
The Mad Max movies were launched in 1979 with Mel Gibson playing the lead, Max Rockatansky. The series is set in a dystopian future that is experiencing a collapse in society due to war and famine. Miller released a trio of movies in the 80s and made his return back to the world with Fury Road and Gibson’s character Max was played by Tom Hardy.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, little is known about Furiosa’s plot and Miller “has never been interested in repeating himself.” But a comic set called “Mad Max: Fury Road – Furiosa No. 1” provides some details including Furiosa and her mother being stolen from their matriarchal society. Furiosa’s mother dies and Furiosa becomes one of Immortan Joe’s wives- but when he discovers she is barren he gives her to his Imperator, who trains her to become a warrior.
Miller is co-writing and directing the story for Warner Bros. He will be working with longtime producing partner Doug Mitchell and the Kennedy Miller Mitchell Production house. According to The Hollywood Reporter the movie is not yet greenlit and is described as being in “advance development.” But the movie is going to have to work around some of the star‘s schedules as Hemsworth is due to begin shooting Thor: Love and Thunder in January.