Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Director Teases Prequel as a “Different Animal” and an “Odyssey”

The upcoming Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga will explore the earlier years of Mad Max: Fury Road‘s Imperator Furiosa, but despite how familiar audiences might be with this character and this world, director George Miller recently teased how the prequel won’t be quite what audiences are anticipating. One of the major differences is that, with Fury Road and the original Mad Max films, audiences were treated to experiences that unfolded in a relatively contained timeline, though Furiosa will chronicle 15 years in the main character’s life. While Fury Road unfolded specifically on the titular path, Furiosa will take viewers to a wider variety of locations. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is set to hit theaters on May 24th.

“The story is the saga of Furiosa, and how she gets taken from home, and spends the rest of her life trying to get back,” Miller shared with Empire Magazine. “[In] Fury Road, the story unfolds over three days and two nights. This film follows the story that runs directly into Fury Road, for 15 years.” 

He continued, “It’s a different animal … It’s got many different locations. It’s an odyssey. No question.”

Furiosa was originally played by Charlize Theron, with Anya Taylor-Joy now stepping into the role. While the two actors have yet to meet in person, Taylor-Joy expressed how supportive Theron has been of the project.

“She’s been so classy and kind in letting me go and do it,” Taylor-Joy expressed. “But I feel very lucky that, from the second I read the script, I just knew this person. I felt so fiercely protective over Furiosa, and fiercely protective of her interests.” 

One major difference with the upcoming project is that, while Theron showed off a now-iconic buzzcut for Fury Road, Miller denied Taylor-Joy the authentic embrace of the hairstyle.

“I was so excited to shave my head,” the actor admitted. “Then George saw me in real life, and went, ‘No, we can’t!’”

This new prequel might be putting its focus on Furiosa, but he did tease that Max himself might somehow be connected to the events of the adventure.

“I won’t give away too much about that,” Miller confessed. “All I’ll say is, Max is lurking there in the background.”  

In Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, as the world fell, young Furiosa is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falls into the hands of a great Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus. Sweeping through the Wasteland they come across the Citadel presided over by The Immortan Joe. While the two Tyrants war for dominance, Furiosa must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way home.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga hits theaters on May 24th.

Are you looking forward to the new movie? Let us know in the comments!