Mad Max: Fury Road star Tom Hardy claims he was completely aware that the 2015 film was not his movie to lead -- and he's satisfied with that.
"That was ultimately Furiosa's movie, which was fantastic," Hardy told Esquire of the character portrayed by Charlize Theron. "Fury Road. Furiosa. It was in the title." When the interviewer pointed out the name of his character, Mad Max, was also in the title, the actor noted, "Yeah, but it was interesting how that one unpacked."
"If you look at it now, it was a changeover of hands in a way, from Mad Max to Furiosa," Hardy continued. "That's what they're filming now. Furiosa. It was a very well-implemented changing of the guard. [Creator George Miller's] still got Mad Max, but he's split his feed between two characters, and that's really, really cool."
Miller initially planned to use digital de-aging technology on Theron for the upcoming prequel, but ultimately decided to cast The Queen's Gambit star Anya Taylor-Joy as a younger version of the character. At that time, Miller also revealed that the prequel film "happens over many years," noting, "You try to make films that are 'uniquely familiar'... [Furiosa] will be familiar to those people who know Mad Max, and in particular Fury Road, but also it will be unique."
While no other plot details have been revealed about the Furiosa origin film, it was confirmed back in April that the prequel will be filmed in Australia's New South Wales (NSW) and is expected to be "the largest film ever to be filmed" in the region. It was also reported at that time that the film could inject at least $350 million into the local economy and create upwards of 850 jobs.
Helmed by George Miller, Mad Max: Furiosa stars Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. The film is currently set to debut on June 23, 2023.
Source: Esquire