The upcoming spin-off to George Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road has been simmering for months now. Back in late March there were whispers about the possibility of Emma star Anya Taylor-Joy playing the titular role in Furiosa, but months passed without any official confirmation. Now, however, not only has Taylor-Joy's casting been confirmed, but it's also been revealed that there are also two other fantastically talented actors who have come aboard: Yahya Abdul Mateen II and Chris Hemsworth.
This news comes to us from The Hollywood Reporter, which adds that George Miller is planning to once again be back at the helm of the film, with plans to direct, co-write and produce. There is an interesting wrinkle in that apparently Furiosa doesn't have the official greenlight at the studio yet, but one can imagine that this news will help inspire forward movement that will result in it getting made.
The reason why Charlize Theron isn't playing Furiosa in the spin-off is because the movie is going to be structured as an origin story instead of a sequel (if you want to know what happens after the last movie, you can read about George Miller's bleak take right here). In Mad Max: Fury Road we learn bits and pieces about her backstory – including that she was kidnapped at a young age along with her mother and brought to The Citadel, ruled by the fascistic water-hogging Immortan Joe, and presumably the new film is going to serve to fill in gaps in the history of the fan-favorite character. Unfortunately, because there are no details in the trade report or existing source material, it can't be said at this stage what to expect from the characters played by Yahya Abdul Mateen II and Chris Hemsworth.
What's also unclear is the planned production schedule for Furiosa. Despite not actually have the studio green light, THR notes that the project is being described as being in "advance development." One could read this as suggesting that the film could be up on its feet by the start of next year and ready to start shooting, but one hurdle that gets in the way of that thinking is Hemsworth's plan to start making Taika Waititi's Thor: Love And Thunder in January. Of course, it's possible that Hemsworth's part isn't massive in the George Miller film, which could allow the projects to operate in parallel. At this point in time there isn't enough information to be certain.
Furiosa will be the fifth film set in the Mad Max universe – which launched with the original Mad Max back in 1979. Fans have been forced to be patient awaiting news about the spin-off, but the truth of the matter is that the five year wait we've had thus far is nothing compared to the 30 year gap between Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome and Mad Max: Fury Road. Furthermore, memories of the production woes and setbacks experienced by the last film makes one want this project to take its time and be 100 percent ready before all of the madness begins.
Hopefully this is just the start of a wave of news about this project as it gets closer and closer to production, so be sure to stay tuned for all of the latest updates about Furiosa here on CinemaBlend.
