Tom Hardy says Mad Max: Fury Road was essentially more of a Furiosa film and worked as a changing of the guard from the titular hero to the heroine. Released in 2015, the post-apocalyptic action film relaunched the franchise after it languished in development hell for nearly 30 years with Hardy taking over the role of Max from Mel Gibson while co-creator and series writer/director George Miller returned. Though incurring some loss at the box office, the film was still considered a smash hit, grossing over $375 million and scoring rave reviews from critics and audiences alike and garnering 10 Oscar nominations and winning the most of its ceremony with six awards.
Development on follow-ups to Mad Max: Fury Road swiftly began, including a film focused on Charlize Theron's Furiosa and two proper sequels for Max's story. However, a pay dispute between Warner Bros. and Miller kept these efforts largely tangled up for years until last year when things were seemingly settled between the two and Furiosa was announced as being in advanced development with Miller returning as writer/director and meeting with a number of actresses to take over the role from Theron. After landing upon Anya Taylor-Joy to star as the titular heroine, Miller began building a cast around her including Chris Hemsworth and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and WB set the film for a June 2023 release date.
With just over a month remaining until the film's release, Hardy caught up with Esquire to discuss his Sony/Marvel sequel Venom: Let There Be Carnage. In reflecting on Mad Max: Fury Road and the franchise's future with Furiosa, Hardy expressed excitement over the direction to focus on the titular Imperator and discussed that his film was intended to put her in the spotlight, but notes Max's story isn't necessarily over. See what Hardy said below:
“That was ultimately Furiosa’s movie, which was fantastic. Fury Road. Furiosa. It was in the title. If you look at it now, it was a changeover of hands in a way, from Mad Max to Furiosa. That’s what they’re filming now. Furiosa. It was a very well-implemented changing of the guard. [Creator George Miller’s] still got Mad Max, but he’s split his feed between two characters, and that’s really, really cool.”
Though Hardy received plenty acclaim for his work as Max in the film, most critics and audiences highlighted Theron's performance as Furiosa and the character herself. The decision to make Furiosa the next film in the franchise may disappoint some who have been eager to see Hardy and Max's return after the long hiatus between Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome and Fury Road, but it's hard to deny the anticipation most have to learn more about the Imperator. Additionally, while Theron and some fans may be heartbroken the Oscar winner isn't reprising her role for the film, it doesn't rule out her return in the future of the series.
Hardy's comments about Mad Max: Fury Road establishing Furiosa as the new central character for the franchise are both honorable and practical. Given her film is up first, Miller is clearly more interested in exploring the character before continuing Max's journey, which also gives Hardy time to focus on his work in the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters. That being said, with Hardy assuring that Miller is splitting his creative energies between Max and Furiosa and the Oscar nominee having expressed interest in returning, the future of the Mad Max franchise is looking bright for fans. Production on Furiosa is expected to begin this month in Australia.
Source: Esquire
