Warner Bros. officially announced on Wednesday that the prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road will be helmed by a new actor. According to the news, Anya Taylor-Joy would be playing the role of Furiosa, a character introduced in the 2015 movie. Furiosa was well received by the Mad Max fandom and plans for a solo movie had begun to develop, which would center on Furiosa. The movie would premiere in 2023 in theatres and not solely on HBO Max.
About Replacing Theron
It was announced earlier this year by Miller that Charlize Theron, who portrayed Furiosa in Fury Road, would not be a part of the prequel as he would not be using de-aging technology for the prequel. On October, it was confirmed that The Queen’s Gambit actor would be taking over Theron’s role.
When Taylor-Joy was asked about how she felt about getting to play the role, she admitted having a number of feelings. As per Taylor-Joy, she felt humbled and grateful. The first thing she felt about working with Miller and playing Furiosa was excitement. She added that she was going to work hard for this.
She further said that it was impossible to ‘get into Theron’s shoes’ when asked about replacing her. This was because she loved the character and the way Charlize played her was beautiful but something that could not be done by someone else; which would mean that she would have to do it in a different way. She does aspire to match the commitment that she and the others gave for the movie.
How did Theron React?
After it was announced that Theron would not be in the prequel, she admitted that it was ‘a bit heartbreaking’ to not be a part of it. She further said that she loved playing Furiosa and was proud of being partly involved with making her come to life. To her, the character will be someone she could think and reflect on forever.
The Tentative Date
George Miller made the first Mad Max movie in 1979, followed by two sequels Mad Max 2 (1981) and Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985) – all starring Mel Gibson as the protagonist of the series. In the 2015 movie Mad Max: Fury Road, the fourth installment; Max aids Furiosa, a rig driver with the battle against Immortan Joe. In this movie, Tom Hardy plays the role of Max Rockatansky.
The prequel, now officially titled Furiosa, would tentatively release on June 28, 2023, on both theatres and HBO Max. It would also star Chris Hemsworth and Yahya Abdul Mateen II.
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