Furiosa star Chris Hemsworth is unrecognizable in new photos snapped on the set of the upcoming Mad Max: Fury Road prequel.
The behind-the-scenes images recently surfaced on Twitter and show Hemsworth with a flowing auburn mane and a long beard. The Aussie actor's facial growth is unlike anything he's sported on screen before, with dandyish upturned mustaches and simple braids flowing from his chin The rest of Hemsworth's costume isn't visible in either photo, as the star is wrapped up in a black rain jacket in both.
Hemsworth joined the Furiosa cast in an undisclosed role back in 2020. Reports have since emerged that peg him as the movie's villain, identified as either "Dr. Dementus" or simply "Dementus." A seemingly official casting call description of the Dementus character also emerged around the same time which describes that baddie as "breathtakingly handsome" and sporting "[a]n angel's face, scarred by a deep forehead wound stitched together with shiny chrome staples." This doesn't seem to fit with Hemsworth's scar-free appearance in the set photos, casting doubt on whether Hemsworth is actually playing the role.
That said, the official Furiosa synopsis released in June 2022 has at least confirmed that Dementus is indeed the name of a villain in the film. As outlined in the synopsis, Dementus will serve as one of the prequel's two main antagonists alongside the younger incarnation of Mad Max: Fury Road baddie Immortan Joe. These two fearsome warlords will apparently go head-to-head in the movie, with Imperator Furiosa caught in the crossfire. There's no word yet on who will take over the Immortan Joe role left vacant by the late Hugh Keays-Byrne.
Filming began on Furiosa in June 2022, an occasion Hemsworth marked by posting an image of one of the production's clapperboards on Instagram. The post also unveiled the film's official chrome-finished logo, which was visible on the clapperboard along with the name of director (and Mad Max co-creator) George Miller. Unofficial set photos began circulating online several weeks later which showcased some of Furiosa's fearsome new vehicles.
Now that fans have laid eyes on both Hemsworth and the movie's garage, all that remains is their first look at Anya-Taylor Joy as Furiosa herself. Taylor-Joy was officially cast as Furiosa in October 2020, after Miller decided that current visual effects technology couldn't convincingly de-age Charlize Theron to reprise the role she originated in Mad Max: Fury Road.
Furiosa rumbles into theaters on May 24, 2024.
Source: Twitter