Mad Max Director Teases New Furiosa Story Set After Fury Road

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga hasn’t hit theaters yet, but its director, George Miller, has already been spitballing ideas for the character’s next chapter in the franchise. Starring Anya Taylor-Joy as the eponymous heroine, Furiosa is a prequel to 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, and shows her journey from a child of the ‘Green Place’ to the shaved-headed killer audiences adored in Miller’s long-awaited return to the franchise. After introducing the character in Fury Road and exploring her backstory in Furiosa, George Miller started turning his attention towards the character’s future, and where she goes after her run in with ‘Mad’ Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy).

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

3.5/5

A prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa is an action-adventure film that tells the origin story of the headstrong and fearless Furiosa. Set shortly after the beginning of the “end of the world,” Furiosa is kidnapped and brought before a powerful warlord, now forced to work for him. To find her way back home, Furiosa will adapt to the new harsh and arid world as she grows into the Furiosa she becomes known to be. 

Release Date

May 24, 2024

Runtime

2h 28m

Speaking to Total Film at Furiosa‘s London premiere, George Miller revealed he’d started conceptualizing the character’s future, which could lead to a new movie. Miller revealed that he frequently thinks about Furiosa’s whereabouts following Fury Road, and is excited by the prospect of how she handles power after defeating Immortan Joe (Hugh Keayes-Byrne). Miller said:

“I’ve often speculated when we see Furiosa go up to the Citadel on that platform at the very end [of Fury Road] and nod goodbye to Max who wanders to the Wasteland… I often think: ‘What does she do, sitting up at the top of the dominant hierarchy? Does she fall into the trap that most revolutionaries do? You know, yesterday’s hero becomes tomorrow’s tyrant, which is classic in storytelling.”

Furiosa & Fury Road Are One ‘Long, Extended Movie’

Directors often have a preference as to how their movies are watched, as much as they might deny it (don’t tell Christopher Nolan you watched Oppenheimer on your Smart Fridge, though he’s okay with phones now). During his interview, Miller revealed an exciting way to watch Furiosa, stating audiences should try and view Furiosa as a direct double feature with Mad Max: Fury Road. Furiosa explores the character’s adolescence and young adult years, and Miller crafted the film to link directly to the beginning of Fury Road.

“I’m very lucky to say that the two films kind of joined together. You can almost play them as a long, extended movie,” Miller said.

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Furiosa (Alyla Browne, Anya Taylor-Joy) tries to return home as Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) and Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme) battle for the wasteland.

The director then revealed his reasoning for exploring that era of Furiosa’s character. The director said it came down to simple interest, believing her time as a rebellious teenager is far more exciting than her childhood spent in the utopian ‘Green Place.’ Miller said:

“I’m not interested in Furiosa from when she’s playing in the Green Place from the age zero to 10 [laughs]. Collecting peaches, and swimming, and learning to climb, and figuring out what a motorbike is even though there’s no gasoline, and so on.”

Alongside Taylor-Joy, Furiosa also stars Chris Hemsworth as Dementus, a vile warlord, whom the actor has described as “a pretty horrible individual.” The first reaction are already out for Furiosa, following its premiere, and the film is certified fresh at 86% on Rotten Tomatoes – with many outlets giving the film perfect 5/5 (and 10/10) reviews.