Anya Taylor-Joy opens up about her expectations that filming Mad Max: Fury Road prequel Furiosa will change her into a "remarkably different" person. Development on a follow-up to the Oscar-winning franchise revisit has been a rocky road since 2017 when franchise creator George Miller's production company brought a lawsuit against Warner Bros. for a disputed $7 million bonus. Though Miller kept hopes alive with confirmations of development on three different Mad Max films, the lawsuit wouldn't be appropriately settled until late 2020, at which time Furiosa was announced the be in advanced development at the studio with Miller set to direct.
Casting on Furiosa got underway shortly thereafter, with Miller having met with Jodie Comer and Anya Taylor-Joy for the titular role and ultimately offering it to the latter upon seeing her performance in Last Night in Soho. The roster would continue to grow shortly thereafter with the additions of Chris Hemsworth and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in undisclosed roles, though the Candyman star recently departed due to a scheduling conflict with a secret passion project and replaced by Tom Burke. Following delays due the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, production on Furiosa is looking to get started sometime in the first quarter of 2022.
In a recent interview with the Associated Press, Taylor-Joy opened up about the impending production of Mad Max: Fury Road prequel Furiosa. The Golden Globe winner revealed she expects the filming the action blockbuster will change her into a different person, but in a positive direction and expressed her excitement for what's to come. See what Taylor-Joy shared below:
"I’m just so excited [to play Furiosa]. I know that whatever person I will be at the end of it will be remarkably different than the person I am now and I’m excited for that kind of growth. I think you only really get that growth through challenging yourself intensely and I can’t imagine a better role, a better director and a better story to do that for. I’m really looking forward to it."
Given the very large scale of production Furiosa is set to entail, it proves understandable for a performer to expect to be changed by such a shoot. Though Taylor-Joy's recent rise to fame has seen her participate in some high-profile projects, the Mad Max: Fury Road prequel will mark the largest production the Golden Globe winner's biggest production to date. The actress has already teased the film will not only once again feature plenty of vehicular mayhem, but that she will participate in some of the driving stunts for the film, a major feat for any actor, namely one still in the early days of her rise to stardom.
In the months since being cast in the part, Anya Taylor-Joy has also expressed her anticipation to tackle the emotionally challenging role of the younger Imperator for Furiosa. With her introduction in Mad Max: Fury Road introducing a version of the character battered by years of combat, including the loss of her arm, the film will certainly require Taylor-Joy to experience a rollercoaster of emotions and development for the prequel, which makes her positive outlook on the change reassuring for fans worried it would put her through the ringer. Furiosa is currently set to hit theaters on May 24, 2024.
Source: Associated Press
