Mad Max: Fury Road prequel film Furiosa reportedly begins filming in Australia some time in the next few months. Director George Miller returned to the world of Max Rockatansky in epic and acclaimed fashion with 2015’s Fury Road.
Miller of course first visited the world of the post-apocalypse with the 1979 Mel Gibson-led low-budget car-crash thriller Mad Max. Gibson’s Max later returned in 1981’s The Road Warrior, then again in 1985’s Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. Miller then put Mad Max aside for 30 years, until inspiration hit him again with Fury Road, a truly furious and action-filled chase movie starring Tom Hardy as Max and Charlize Theron as Furiosa. Theron’s character would in fact go on to be nearly as iconic as Max, leading Miller to write a new film centered on her life before the events of Fury Road. Theron however will not be back as Furiosa in Furiosa, as the younger Anya Taylor-Joy now takes on the role alongside co-stars Chris Hemsworth and Tom Burke. Taylor-Joy herself recently provided an update on her stunt driving lessons as she prepares to join Miller’s latest action extravaganza.
Taylor-Joy’s car-related update was of course good news for Mad Max fans who can’t wait to see the Last Night in Soho actress climb behind the wheel in Furiosa. Indeed preparations for the film are moving forward in other ways as well, as the production appears ready to head to Australia sooner than expected. As reported by The New Daily, locations around New South Wales are reporting that the film has booked up every room available, including Airbnbs and Caravan Parks, to house up to 800 cast and crew. It’s expected that filming will actually begin some time between mid-March and June, depending on how things play out COVID-wise. Shooting is expected to take two months, though with Miller-directed films, there always seem to be problems that cause shooting to extend beyond what’s planned.
Indeed the residents of New South Wales are excited to have Furiosa come to town as the film is expected to generate around $350 million for the local economy. Hemsworth’s imminent arrival seems to be generating particular buzz, which isn’t surprising given his Australian roots. The owners of a local hotel enthused, “Chris Hemsworth will steal the show, which is great … [we’re] looking forward to being involved in our little community [with] 800 cast and crew hanging out at different times at the Silverton Hotel.”
It’s obviously a major deal for film fans any time Miller gets behind the camera to shoot another Mad Max movie. Fury Road in fact seemed like a small miracle when it arrived out of the blue in 2015 and turned out to be better than anyone could’ve hoped. It remains to be seen if Miller can repeat the magic of Fury Road with Furiosa, but the lead character is certainly fascinating enough to carry a movie and there’s definitely plenty of story left to tell with her. Furiosa is expected to release some time in 2024.
Source: The New Daily