Speaking strictly in terms of vehicular action and post-apocalyptic mayhem, Fury Road is an undisputed masterpiece, but there’s one recurring criticism that Mad Max fans have had: the titular Max (Tom Hardy) being a bit of a side character in his own movie. Well, those who were expecting to see or learn more about him should prepare for more disappointment, as he (probably) won’t be showing up at all in the next one.
In a discussion regarding the production of Fury Road, director George Miller confirmed to The New York Times that the next “Mad Max” movie would be a stand-alone prequel about Furiosa, who was arguably the real lead of the 2015 film. Charlize Theron won’t be returning to play the character, however, due to the time difference – the script is calling for an actress who is in her twenties.
“For the longest time, I thought we could just use CG de-aging on Charlize, but I don’t think we’re nearly there yet,” Miller said. “Despite the valiant attempts on The Irishman, I think there’s still an uncanny valley. Everyone is on the verge of solving it, particular Japanese video-game designers, but there’s still a pretty wide valley, I believe.”
Whoever wins the role will have big shoes to fill, as Theron’s performance is one of the obvious reasons why the character became popular enough to justify a prequel. Plenty of Fury Road alumini, such as “retired” cinematographer John Seale,” have already signed on for the shoot, which will commence after Miller’s current drama, Three Thousand Years of Longing, wraps up.
“So after we finish it, and hopefully everything settles down with the pandemic, we’ll see what the world allows us to do with Furiosa,” Miller said.