The 'Thor: Ragnarok' actor and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II are tapped to star in the movie that will track the genesis of Furiosa, with the 'Glass' actress in the title role.
- Oct 14, 2020
AceShowbiz - Warner Bros. is gearing up for a new "Mad Max" film by signing an actress in the lead role. After "Mad Max: Fury Road" director George Miller expressed his interest in casting Anya Taylor-Joy for the title role in "Furiosa", the studio has officially tapped the actress to portray the young version of Charlize Theron's character in the upcoming standalone movie.
Taylor-Joy isn't the only actor attached to the project as Chris Hemsworth and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II have also been cast to star in the spin-off film. Their roles are not immediately announced, but it was previously reported that Hemsworth was circling a role called Dementus.
The idea of "Furiosa" was first developed from Miller and "Fury Road" co-writer Nick Lathouris' extensive backstory for the heroine that they wrote during the years they were working on "Fury Road". "It was purely a way of helping Charlize and explaining it to ourselves," he revealed back in May.
They found Furiosa's story so compelling that they decided to write a second screenplay even before a frame of "Fury Road" had been shot. After being locked in a legal battle for years, Miller has been finally given the go-ahead to proceed.
He also explained the decision to recast the role with a younger actress, "For the longest time, I thought we could just use CG de-aging on Charlize, but I don't think we're nearly there yet." Theron, meanwhile, admitted the decision was "a tough one to swallow," but she had nothing but respect for Miller and added, "He's a master, and I wish him nothing but the best."
"Furiosa" was supposed to start shooting this spring, but it was delayed after coronavirus pandemic shut down all Hollywood productions. Miller will return to direct the movie and produce with his longtime Oscar-nominated producing partner Doug Mitchell.
Taylor-Joy garnered critical acclaim through her role in M. Night Shyamalan's psychological horror film "Split" (2016) and its sequel "Glass" (2019). She recently starred in X-Men film "The New Mutants" and will be seen in Netflix's miniseries "The Queen's Gambit".
Hemsworth is best known for his Marvel character Thor, which he last portrayed for the 2019 blockbuster "Avengers: Endgame". He also led the cast of Netflix's hit action thriller "Extraction" and is expected to return for its planned sequel.
As for Abdul-Mateen, he's fresh off winning his Emmy Award for HBO's series "Watchmen" on which he plays Cal Abar/Doctor Manhattan. He will also appear in the new "Candyman" movie, "The Trial of the Chicago 7", and "The Matrix 4".
