All good things take time, and time definitely had some exciting news for Mad Max fans; Chris Hemsworth, who has been cast in the film, took to Twitter to announce that the Furiosa prequel has begun filming. After its delay in filming due to Covid-related issues, it was decided that the originally slated release date for June 2023 would have to be pushed back to May 2024. Ever since, fans and the crew have been stuck in pre-production limbo until the star-powered cast wrapped on their other films. As they say though, "I live, I die. I live again!"
Hemsworth posted a photo to social media with the film slate for the highly-anticipated Furiosa prequel, generating madness across the internet. The slate in the photo was propped in the familiar Mad Max scorched desert with a backdrop of clouds. The director's name, George Miller, can also be seen on the slate. Miller, who worked on all four of the previous Mad Max films, returned to co-write the fierce Imperator Furiosa's origin story with Nico Lathouris. This simply means Furiosa's backstory is in capable hands.
The last we saw of Imperator Furiosa, played by Oscar-winner Charlize Theron, was in the Mad Max 2015 revisit Mad Max: Fury Road. Theron's character was introduced maneuvering a massive War Rig as one of the antagonist's lieutenants, sent out to retrieve the coveted gasoline. Instead, the formidable Furiosa is harboring five of Immortan Joe's wives in an attempt to flee his Citadel. It's Furiosa's actions that launch Fury Road into a high-speed pursuit across the Wasteland where they encounter a clan of women, the Vuvalini. The women recognize Furiosa and explain to her that she was kidnapped from them as a child. Max, played by Tom Hardy, convinces Furiosa and the clan of women to return to the Citadel and fight for a claim over the people and resources.
For the prequel, not much is known about the plot besides its focus being on the lieutenant's origins, and that young Furiosa will be portrayed by Golden Globe-winner Anya Taylor-Joy, who intends to do some of her own stunt driving. After her breakout role as the mistreated Thomasin in 2015's The Witch, Taylor-Joy has showcased her talent with a wide variety of roles. Most recently, Taylor-Joy was featured in the Viking epic The Northman with Alexander Skarsgård. Before that, she starred in the dazzling horror Last Night in Soho. Other credits include Netflix's The Queen's Gambit, Emma, The New Mutants, and Peaky Blinders. She also has an upcoming horror film, The Menu, opposite Ralph Fiennes.
Furiosa will see the return of the Oscar-winning crew from Fury Road, including production designer Colin Gibson, editor Margaret Sixel, and makeup designer Lesley Vanderwalt. Miller will direct, and produce with Doug Mitchell through their company Kennedy Miller Mitchell. The only other cast members announced alongside Taylor-Joy and Hemsworth are Tom Burke, Nathan Jones reprising his role as Rictus Erectus, and Angus Sampson who is also returning from Fury Road.
Check out Hemsworth's tweet below: