Killing Eve star Jodie Comer is among those being eyed to star in the Mad Max Furiosa prequel movie. It's been exactly five years (at the time of writing) since Mad Max: Fury Road opened in theaters in 2015, earning critical raves and quickly cementing its reputation as one of the most audacious (not to mention, visually-striking) action movies of the new century. Now, after being impeded by a lawsuit involving Warner Bros. and profits on Fury Road, Mad Max filmmaker George Miller is hoping to get the post-apocalyptic franchise up and running once more.
Earlier this year, it was reported Miller wants to begin shooting a Furiosa spinoff next year and has auditioned Anya Taylor-Joy for a key role, possibly even a young Imperator Furiosa (whom Charlize Theron famously portrayed in Fury Road). More recently, the filmmaker confirmed he's working on a Fury Road prequel and is looking to recast Furiosa rather than digitally de-aging Theron like he'd originally intended. Unsurprisingly, it appears Taylor-Joy isn't the only promising up and comer he's approached about the project, either.
According to THR, Comer is among those being considered to play Furiosa in the upcoming prequel. It stands to reason Taylor-Joy is up for the same role, but it's also possible she's being considered for a different character. After all, the film is expected to explore more of Furiosa's backstory - including, her time in the "Green Place" and experiences with the Vuvalini warrior women - so there should be multiple female leads.
While she's currently best known for her performance as the twisted assassin Villanelle on Killing Eve, Comer has already demonstrated her range as an actor with roles in everything from royalty period dramas (The White Princess) to coming of age dramedies (My Mad Fat Diary). She even made a brief appearance as Rey's mother during a flashback in last year's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Her star will only continue to rise in the months to come thanks to her lead roles in Ridley Scott's historical drama The Last Duel and December's Ryan Reynolds video game adventure Free Guy. It's easy to see why Miller would consider her to play a young Furiosa; much like Theron, she could bring a real sense of depth to the not-so-talkative character, especially a younger and more vulnerable version.
With film production still shut-down in most of the world due to the coronavirus pandemic, it's unclear when Miller will be able to begin shooting the next movie on his to-do list (the fantasy romance Three Thousand Years of Longing starring Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton). The original plan was for Miller to start production this spring/summer before turning his attention back to the Mad Max franchise next year, but obviously that's already changed. Either way, with names like Taylor-Joy and Comer in the mix, this Furiosa prequel sounds pretty intriguing, right off the bat.
Source: THR