Chris Hemsworth poses during the TAG Heuer Autavia Collection launch on June 26, 2019 in Sydney, Australia.
A prequel film to the critically acclaimed Mad Max series has been announced by Director George Miller. Furiosa is set to star Chris Hemsworth, and The Queen's Gambit's Anya Taylor-Joy will star as the younger version of Furiosa. Charlize Theron played that role in Mad Max: Fury Road, which was one of the biggest movies of 2015, grossing almost $500 million worldwide. The film won six Oscars and was nominated for best picture and director.
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced on Twitter that the movie will be shot on location in NSW. It is set to be the largest film ever produced in Australia. According to Berejiklian’s tweet, the movie will bring in $350 million to the Australian economy as well as create hundreds of local jobs for Australian citizens.
The scope of the story will expand in the upcoming prequel, with Miller describing Furiosa as a saga: "Whereas Fury Road essentially happened over three days and two nights, this happens over many years. You try to make films that are ‘uniquely familiar’. This will be familiar to those people who know Mad Max, and in particular Fury Road, but also it will be unique."
The prequel will follow the early years of Imperator Furiosa, the war captain turned rebel insurgent from Mad Max: Fury Road. Apparently, Theron was disappointed in being recast, Cinema Blend reports. Taylor-Joy is a fan of Theron's work in Fury Road and hopes to do the role justice, 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." Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, best known for his roles in Aquaman and The Trial of the Chicago 7 also joins the cast.
Native Aussie Chris Hemsworth joined Gladys Berejiklian, George Miller, and producer Doug Mitchell at a press conference in Australia to announce his involvement as well as discuss the project. Hemsworth said that having grown up watching Miller’s iconic series, joining the cast was the biggest “pinch myself moment” in his acting career.
“It’s a huge honour,” he said. “A lot of pressure but exciting pressure that is certainly motivating.”
Hemsworth is currently in Sydney filming Thor: Love and Thunder, the sequel to Thor: Ragnarok with Taika Watiti returning as director.
Miller has just finished filming the fantasy drama Three Thousand Years of Longing, with Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton in Sydney.
Filming is not expected to start until next year.
