Given that Fury Road spent three decades stuck in development hell, the fact post-apocalyptic prequel Mad Max: Furiosa is deep in pre-production a mere seven years after the last installment is a minor miracle. It may have been pushed back by almost an entire year, but that summer 2024 release date looks to be more than manageable.
The pressure is on for creator and director George Miller to deliver, though, when you consider that the fourth outing for Max Rockatansky is held in the highest of regard. It wasn’t just a critical and commercial smash hit that instantly gained a reputation as one of the modern era’s greatest action epics, but it became a genuine awards season phenomenon to boot.
Following in the footsteps of a six-time Academy Award winner (and Best Picture nominee) is no easy feat, but Miller admitted to Variety that things have started off on the right foot.
“Here I am doing an interview with you halfway across the world, and I’m able to look at this footage being shot far west from where I am and we’re discussing it as we go through the process. It’s amazing, really. I’ll tell you how it’s going when it’s finished, but it has got off to a lovely start.
All I can say about my excitement about doing it is that it’s definitely exciting, because even though it’s certainly of that world of Fury Road, it’s also got a lot of the differences we’ve been talking about. Again, it’s uniquely familiar. And probably the biggest difference is the timespan. Fury Road happened over three days and two nights and this one happens over 15 years. So, it’s a saga.”
Anya Taylor-Joy inherits the title role from Charlize Theron, with Chris Hemsworth poised to make a rare detour into villainous territory, which is reason enough to get the juices flowing about Mad Max: Furiosa, without even considering the vehicular carnage we know is coming.
