George Miller's Mad Max franchise has had a fascinating journey in theaters throughout the years. The apocalyptic property returned to the big screen in a major way with 2015's Mad Max: Fury Road, starring Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron. Moviegoers were thrilled to hear that Miller is returning to the property again with a prequel focused on Theron's character Furiosa. It was recently announced that Glass actress Anya Taylor-Joy would be playing the role, and she's since reacted to taking on the mantle after her predecessor's stellar performance.
Charlize Theron's Furiosa was very much at the heart of Mad Max: Fury Road's story. It's her mission to save Immortan Joe's harem of wives, and she's a badass throughout the movie's 120 minute runtime. Anya Taylor-Joy has some big shoes to fill, and the New Mutants actress recently spoke to this experience, saying:
I fell in love with Furiosa, the way that Charlize presented her. She did such an incredible job and it was so beautiful and 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.
Touche. It looks like Anya Taylor-Joy won't be trying to emulate Charlize Theron when she plays Furiosa in the developing Mad Max spinoff. Instead she'll try to bring something new, despite the inevitable comparisons. After all, Theron's performance in Fury Road lives in a tier of its own.
Anya Taylor-Joy's comments to the Happy Sad Confused podcast come just days after her role in Mad Max: Furiosa was announced. She'll be joined by Thor actor Chris Hemsworth and recent Emmy winner Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Watchmen, Aquaman, The Matrix 4). The rest of the cast remains to be seen, but that trio of stellar actors is sure to attract even more talent to the project.
Not much is known about the Mad Max prequel, but George Miller is attached to direct and produce Furiosa as well as co-writing the screenplay with Nico Lathouris. But fans had been holding out hope for more content from the franchise since Fury Road hit theaters back in 2015. And now that it's finally happening, the pressure is on for Miller and company to deliver. And that especially includes Anya Taylor-Joy.
Some fans were shocked to hear that George Miller was developing a Furiosa sequel without re-teaming with Charlize Theron. The Oscar winning actress herself expressed disappointment in not being asked to return, despite the project being a prequel focused on a younger version of her Fury Road character. But Anya Taylor-Joy clearly appreciates her predecessor's performance, and it should be interesting to see what she brings to the table.
In addition to the Furiosa movie, George Miller has also expressed interest in producing a more traditional sequel to Mad Max: Fury Road. Of course, we'll have to see exactly how well the spinoff fares at theaters. But considering how the last movie earned $375.2 million and ten Oscar nominations, there's certainly a wave of success for Miller to ride into this new project.
CinemaBlend will keep you updated on all things Mad Max as more details become public. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next movie experience.
