Mad Max Furiosa will be delayed by a year–arriving in theaters in 2024 instead of 2023, according to Deadline. No reason was cited for the shift in dates, but a production delay is not unexpected since the world is still in the throes of a pandemic.
Mad Max Furiosa is a prequel to Mad Max Fury Road and will explore the backstory of Furiosa, a fearsome character who betrays Immortan Joe in order to free his five wives. Anya Taylor-Joy–known for her role as Beth Harmon in the surprise Netflix Original hit Queen’s Gambit–will still star as the younger Furiosa.
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Chris Hemsworth and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II are also part of the cast lineup. Charlize Theron, who played Furiosa in Fury Road, will not make an appearance in the standalone prequel.
Director George Miller teased previously that Furiosa will take place over a much longer time span as compared to the relatively contained Fury Road. “This is a saga; it happens over many years, so there’s a lot of different elements to it. But that’s all I should say,” he commented.
Miller also revealed the casting process behind appointing Taylor-Joy as the main lead. He saw her act for the first time in the upcoming movie Last Night in Soho and thought her performance was interesting. During her audition, he asked Taylor-Joy to perform the “mad as hell” speech from 1976’s Network and was impressed by her ability to incorporate his simple notes and produce a better subsequent performance.
In other Fury Road news, if you’re looking for a sweet new ride, Fury Road Mad Max cars are up for auction. The vehicles have a starting bid of $1, but no doubt the price will reach astronomical heights once the auction starts. Bidding begins on September 26 and will be livestreamed.
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