Warner Bros. has cast The New Mutants star Anya Taylor-Joy in the lead role of director George Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road prequel titled Furiosa. Taylor-Joy will be joined by Thor: Love and Thunder star Chris Hemsworth and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II of Aquaman and Watchmen fame.
In addition to helming Furiosa, Miller will return to co-write and produce the Max Max: Fury Road prequel alongside his producing partner Doug Mitchell. The film will be produced through the duo's Australian-based Kennedy Miller Mitchell banner in partnership with Warner Bros.
Taylor-Joy will portray a younger version of Furiosa, a role previously portrayed by Charlize Theron in Fury Road. The roles of Hemsworth and Abdul-Mateen II have not been disclosed. Miller previously announced plans to produce more films in the Mad Max franchise following the success of Fury Road and had developed origin stories for each character in the film while preparing the script with co-writer Nick Lathouris. Furiosa will mark Miller's fifth time returning to the franchise after previously directing all four installments of the Mad Max film series.
The Mad Max franchise follows the exploits of police officer Max Rockatansky, played by Mel Gibson in the first three films and then by Tom Hardy in Fury Road, in a dystopian society facing war and a shortage of resources. Theron's Furiosa was introduced as a war captain serving under the cruel leader Immortan Joe. However, Furiosa forms an uneasy but effective alliance with Max after turning on Joe to free his concubines.
Miller had previously considered using de-aging technology in order to bring back Theron for the prequel but felt the result didn't measure up to his expectations. While Theron has admitted to being heartbroken by the decision, she added that she trusts Miller's judgment on the matter.
Taylor-Joy was being eyed for a role in Furiosa as far back as March of this year. In addition to her role as Illyana Rasputin in The New Mutants, Taylor-Joy is known for portraying Casey Cooke in M. Night Shyamalan's Split and Glass, both sequels to Unbreakable.
Furiosa will be released on an undetermined date.
Source: Variety