Warner Bros. sets a 2023 theatrical release date for the upcoming Mad Max prequel centered around Furiosa. The Mad Max franchise returned in a big way in 2015 with the release of Mad Max: Fury Road. With George Miller back behind the camera, the franchise creator delivered a spectacular action film that introduced audiences to Charlize Theron's Furiosa. She was such a standout that Miller began discussing the possibility of a Furiosa solo film, in addition to a true sequel.
Despite the acclaim that Mad Max: Fury Road received, the status of the Furiosa film was held up for years but finally started to make big strides earlier this year. After Killing Eve's Jodie Comer was linked to play Furiosa in the prequel, it was revealed that The Queen's Gambit star Anya Taylor-Joy was selected to follow in Theron's footsteps. The cast expanded from there to include Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Chris Hemsworth. This progress has now led Warner Bros. to give the Mad Max prequel an official release date.
Warner Bros. announced that the Mad Max prequel - now officially and currently titled Furiosa - will be released on June 23, 2023. The studio also confirmed that the movie will be released in theaters and not make it exclusively for an HBO Max release. If this release date sticks, Furiosa will arrive eight years after Mad Max: Fury Road was released.
The confirmation that Furiosa is intended to receive a theatrical release in 2023 comes on the heels of Warner Bros. moving forward with the strategy of same-day releases in theaters and on HBO Max for every 2021 movie. WB was the only major studio to try releasing a blockbuster - Christopher Nolan's Tenet - during COVID-19. Since Tenet didn't perform as well as hoped and with movie theaters still mostly shut down and struggling, there was some fear that WB was shifting their release strategy permanently to draw more attention to HBO Max. Although the studio is noting that Furiosa will receive a theatrical release, that does not necessarily mean that the simultaneous streaming and theatrical launch is out of the question. But, since COVID-19 should be well behind the world in three years, theaters should be back to full strength for Furiosa's release.
In any case, the 2023 release date for Furiosa is another big step forward for the film. Although a release date this far out would mean that most blockbusters wouldn't need to start production until the summer of 2022, it won't be surprising if Miller starts filming the Mad Max prequel much earlier. The production and filming process for Mad Max: Fury Road was notoriously complicated and long. If Miller plans on crafting something as sprawling and elaborate with Furiosa as he did with Fury Road, then it would be best to give him plenty of time to get the prequel ready for its 2023 release. And after Fury Road made over $375 million worldwide, there will be an expectation for Furiosa to perform just as well, especially with its talented leading trio.
Source: Warner Bros.
