Mad Max: Furiosa Returning Franchise to Australia, First story Details Revealed

The Furiosa prequel will return Mad Max to Australia, the country that birthed the franchise. At a [...]

By Jamie Lovett

The Furiosa prequel will return Mad Max to Australia, the country that birthed the franchise. At a press conference for the movie, New South Whales Premier Gladys Berejiklian state that the new film would be "the largest film ever to be filmed" in the state, boosting its economy by $350 million and creating 850 new jobs. The film chose to go to New South Whales after being wooed by both state and federal incentives, including a 40 percent tax break. Australian director George Miller filmed the first three Mad Max movies in his home country, starring Australian actor Mel Gibson. Mad Max: Fury Road filmed in Namibia after a long delay due to unusual raininess in the Australian desert. Now Miller is bringing the franchise back home to shoot for the next film's 2023 release date.

Chris Hemsworth, the Australian star who will appear in the film opposite Anya Tayor-Joy in the title role, is in the country filming Marvel Studios' Thor: Love and Thunder. He attended the press conference and expressed how much it means to become part of a Mad Max movie after growing up watching Miller's original trilogy. He described getting the call as a "pinch myself moment."

"It's a huge honor," Hemsworth said. "A lot of pressure but exciting pressure that is certainly motivating."

Miller explained how the prequel differs from its predecessor. "Whereas Fury Road essentially happened over three days and two nights, this happens over many years," he said." You try to make films that are 'uniquely familiar. This will be familiar to those people who know Mad Max, and in particular Fury Road, but also it will be unique."

Furiosa casts Taylor-Joy as a younger Imperator Furiosa, played by Charlize Theron in Fury Road. "The first thing that went through my head when I found out I was going to do it was,' I am so excited to work so hard,'" Taylor-Joy said of her leading role in the film during an episode of the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast. "The level of commitment that has been shown before me, I endeavor to match that, and that makes me really excited. I fell in love with Furiosa, the way that Charlize presented her. She did such an incredible job, and it was so beautiful, and I can't even think about trying to step [into her shoes]. It has to be something different because it just can't be done. I've already started dreaming about her. She's coming in pretty strong."

When it debuted in 2015, Max Max: Fury Road earned $375 million worldwide, as well as six Academy Awards and a nomination for Best Picture. Mad Max: Furiosa opens in theaters on June 23, 2023.

Source: The Sunday Morning Herald

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