Mad Max: Fury Road producer PJ Voeten reveals Chris Hemsworth wasn't George Miller's first choice to play the villain in the Furiosa prequel. Alongside the Thor star, the cast for the film includes Anya Taylor-Joy in the titular role, Tom Burke, who is replacing Candyman's Yahya Abdul-Mateen II due to a scheduling conflict. Miller is once again set to produce, write and direct the new installment with Mad Max: Fury Road co-writer Nico Lathouris.
Miller has spent the better part of the past five years developing the film, having come up with the idea while working on Fury Road but struggling to get it off the ground amidst financial disputes between his production company and Warner Bros. Their lawsuit would come to a close in late 2020 and Furiosa would swiftly enter advanced development, though production has seen numerous delays due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As filming is finally gearing up to get started on Furiosa, those behind the film are offering new details on the long development.
In the newly released "Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road" (via SlashFilm), producer PJ Voeten opened up about the long-awaited Furiosa prequel. When discussing the casting for the film's villain, Voeten revealed Chris Hemsworth was not George Miller's first choice for the role but that the writer/director fell in love with the idea of the star playing "against type." See what Voeten shared below:
"George saw Chris [Hemsworth] initially as a courtesy and then fell in love with the idea. He's going to play totally against type, the lead baddie. Unfortunately, we've got to find all of our other characters that aren't around anymore: a new Immortan, a new Bullet Farmer, and a few others."
Given Hemsworth's status as a heroic leading man in Hollywood, it's understandable the actor wouldn't have been Miller's first choice to play the Furiosa villain. Despite his popularity as the protagonists such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Thor, the Mad Max: Fury Road prequel won't be the first time the star has taken on a villainous role on the big screen. One of Hemsworth's earliest film roles was as a potential suspect in David Twohy's whodunnit thriller A Perfect Getaway and would return to the evil fold for Drew Goddard's Bad Times at the El Royale as the Manson-like cult leader Billy Lee.
Though these films did see Hemsworth embrace the more antagonistic side of things, they still largely relied on his charisma as with his more heroic performances. The tease that Hemsworth will be playing the "against type" Furiosa villain is sure to create much anticipation for audiences eager to see how he breaks from his usual performances, especially since his meeting with Miller turned the director on to the idea. Only time will tell when Furiosa hits theaters on May 24, 2024.
Source: SlashFilm
