It’s been years since Mad Max: Fury Road revived the iconic franchise, with Tom Hardy taking on the role Mel Gibson played so long ago. Due to the film’s massive critical and commercial success, and its sweep at the Academy Awards that year, some speculated that Hardy’s films would spawn a franchise of its own. Finally, that post-apocalyptic cinematic universe will expand with a prequel film, Mad Max: Furiosa, based on the character Imperator Furiosa portrayed by Charlize Theron in the 2015 film.

The film is still in very early phases of development. George Miller is actively recruiting actors and shaping up the script to support the origin story of the character that was first introduced in Fury Road. While the early films have always had the eponymous Max Rockatansky as the protagonist, Furiosa will be the first film in the franchise to feature a story told from a different character’s perspective.

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Though the movie has begun filming, the release date has been set pretty far off. At the moment, we’ll have to satisfy ourselves with small production updates and leaked photos of Chris Hemsworth in red wigs. Here’s everything we know about the upcoming Mad Max: Fury Road prequel, Furiosa.

Updated July 14th by Ted Bajer: If you’re looking for more information about Mad Max: Furiosa, you’ll be happy to know that we’ve updated this article with a release date and information about production.

Furiosa: The Plot

     Warner Bros. Pictures

The plot details are currently under wraps, and Miller has not revealed many details of Furiosa. But the story is expected to show how Furiosa became the Imperator. It will also likely show her dark past, including the separation from her family, her history with the clan of Vuvalini warrior women, and how she lost her arm.

Imperator Furiosa was a fresh character George Miller introduced in Fury Road, and she hadn’t appeared in the Mel Gibson films from the ’80s. Played by Charlize Theron, Furiosa handles logistics for Immortan Joe and is his true confidante. She’s been entrusted with a powerful, armored war rig and commands a small force of Joe’s War Boys. However, when she is sent off to ferry oil back from Gas Town, she betrays Immortan Joe. She decides to save Joe’s concubines and search for Green Place, a fable she remembers from her childhood. The story of Fury Road revolves around her alliance with Max as they struggle to defeat Immortan Joe and escape with his concubines to Green Place.

The movie had themes of feminism, along with slavery, oppression, social stratification, and climate degradation. Despite the fact that Fury Road was centered around Tom Hardy’s Max Rockatansky, Theron’s Furiosa becomes the cynosure of the film and the one who constructs the subtexts of Miller’s story. Furiosa executes the film’s fundamentals, further empowered by the impressive cinematography and visual effects work of the movie.

Furiosa: Where Does It Fall in the Mad Max Timeline?

The timeline of Mad Max films has been under constant debate. Since there was a considerable gap between the release dates of Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome and Fury Road, there is no telling how these films are interconnected. Fury Road is mostly considered to be a sequel in that franchise. Given that Max is depicted as a bit jaded and weary in Fury Road compared to its predecessor, one can argue that the film might take place in the later years of Max’s life; however, it can’t be definitively confirmed.

Furiosa would be on the same timeline in which Fury Road exists. It’s a direct prequel to the film, and the character Imperator Furiosa wasn’t a part of Mel Gibson’s Mad Max Trilogy. So, whatever connection it establishes would directly refer to the events of Fury Road. But if we assume that all these films are part of the same continuity, and since Miller has created an extensive backstory for Furiosa’s character, we can hope for some references to the original films of the franchise. It is expected to span several years, which may clear up the state of events in that post-apocalyptic world.

Furiosa is about the same character Theron played in Fury Road, so while Max may not be in the film, we will likely see Immortan Joe. Whether Miller will deeply connect the dots between films or leave it to the audience’s interpretation won’t be certain until the film arrives in theaters.

Furiosa: The Cast & Crew

     Netflix

As the film is a prequel, Miller had considered using the de-aging technology with Theron essaying the role of a 20-year-old Furiosa. The idea was to have Theron reprise her role in a digitally de-aged appearance, just like Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci did for Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman. However, Miller eventually dropped the idea and decided to recast the role with a younger actress.

Miller has started raising a team of talented actors to fit the cast. In October 2020, Anya Taylor-Joy was confirmed for the role. She has received notable acclaim for her roles in Autumn de Wilde’s Emma, and the Netflix hit The Queen’s Gambit. Taylor-Joy won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Miniseries or Television Film and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie.

*Aside from Anya Taylor-Joy, we only know for certain one other Mad Max character that will appear in this film: Nathan Jones will be returning from Fury Road to reprise his role as Rictus Erectus. Aside from this cast announcement, there are a few actors who beg one to speculate on their possible characters. The most notable addition to the cast is Chris Hemsworth, famous for portraying Thor in Marvel Cinematic Universe. Hemsworth confirmed his casting through Instagram, sharing his excitement and promising to honor the legacy of the Mad Max films. It’s speculated that Hemsworth might be portraying the film’s primary antagonist. On July 4th, Twitter leaked a photo of Hemsworth on set with a massive red beard and a huge mustache.

Other cast members once included Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Aquaman, The Matrix Resurrections). However, Mateen later exited the film and was replaced by Tom Burke. Burke came to recognition for his role as Orson Welles in David Fincher’s Mank and for playing Athos in The Musketeers.

The film is written by George Miller, who will also serve as the film’s director. Miller had written the script for Furiosa earlier, right after the production of Fury Road. While writing Fury Road, Miller said he had prepared extensive backstories for other characters in the film and that a full-fledged storyline centered around Furiosa was always in store from the beginning. In fact, before Fury Road went into shooting, Miller had a script ready for the prequel, which was also read by actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. The actress, who played Angharad in Fury Road, said:

Co-writer Nick Lathouris is returning to write Furiosa with Miller. In fact, the entire award-winning team from Fury Road is back to make Furiosa. Production designer Colin Gibson, sound-mixer Ben Osmo, makeup artist Lesley Vanderwalt, and editor Margaret Sixel are all returning to reprise their respective creative roles in the film’s production. All of these team members won the Academy Award in their respective categories for their work on Fury Road. Cinematographer John Seale is also returning to fulfill his promise of coming out of retirement exclusively for George Miller.

I got to read it [the script] when I was cast. It’s genius. I’ve always wondered if that movie’s going to get made.

Release Date

*Mad Max: Furiosa’s release date is set far in the future, much like its story. The current release date is May 24, 2024, but that’s certain to change, if only due to how far away it is. Currently, George Miller is completing the film Three Thousand Years of Longing starring Idris Elba and will only start his work on the Mad Max prequel after that.

Mad Max: The Wasteland

Miller also wrote drafts for two sequels to Fury Road, but the projects never kicked off due to payment issues between Miller and Warner Bros. Pictures. A tentative title to the sequel was also announced at the time – Mad Max: The Wasteland. There’s no saying what the future of the Mad Max franchise would be after Furiosa, but this particular film series has never failed to amaze viewers even after years of waiting for a continuation. Maybe, we’ll get to see Charlize Theron once again taking up the role if a sequel to the ongoing franchise ever happens.