Nicholas Hoult Addresses If He Is Part of Mad Max Prequel, Praises Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa (Exclusive)

The post-apocalyptic world of Mad Max is expanding. 30 years after the Mel Gibson-led trilogy wrapped up, 2015 saw George Miller return to the director's chair for Mad Max: Fury Road, a "revisiting" of the franchise with Tom Hardy now starring as the titular character. Fury Road was both a box office and critical smash hit, earning enough awards to warrant a separate Wikipedia page just for its accolades. This led to Miller and his team developing scripts for both sequels and spin-offs, but an ill-timed lawsuit delayed any potential production. Momentum finally resumed in October 2020, as Warner Brothers and Miller entered "advanced development" on Furiosa, a Mad Max: Fury Road prequel that would spotlight a younger version of Charlize Theron's heroine.

Taking over for Theron will be Anya Taylor-Joy. While this will be Taylor-Joy's first time stepping into the Mad Max world, she has already shared the screen with some Fury Road alumni. Speaking to ComicBook.com at the Renfield premiere in New York City, Nicholas Hoult praised Taylor-Joy's talents, emphasizing that his The Menu co-star will be "incredible" as Furiosa.

"Honestly, Anya's going to do an incredible job with that character," Hoult said. "From what I've heard from her and knowing George [is] directing, it's going to be a really special film. I'm excited to see it just as a fan."

Hoult was among the Fury Road ensemble, portraying Nux, one of the War Boys. Nux gets a hero's ending in the film, sacrificing himself to take out Rictus (Nathan Jones), one of the villainous Immortan Joe's high-ranking comrades.

While Nux is dead in the present, Furiosa being a prequel would make it possible for it to be a "lovely day" for Hoult's character once again. That said, Hoult pointed to the Furiosa time period being too early for him return to the role.

"I knew going into Fury Road, I knew all of Nux's life up until the moment we meet him in that film," Hoult said. "And obviously as a prequel, it's earlier. Nux would've maybe just about been born and I don't think I could play a six-month-old or a year old. It would be a stretch for me."

Hoult's next feature film, Renfield, hits theaters on April 14th.