Actor Tom Hardy’s Mad Max: Fury Road is getting a prequel in the form of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. The trailer of George Miller’s Furiosa was released recently. Fans of the franchise were overjoyed by the Anya Taylor-Joy starrer, which explored the character’s past fifteen years before the events of Fury Road.
The film also stars Chris Hemsworth and will focus on Furiosa’s journey which leads to her rebellion against Immortan Joe. While there have been no mentions of Tom Hardy’s Max yet, George Miller recently hinted at the popular character’s presence in the film. The hint led to speculations about a de-aged Tom Hardy possibly appearing in the film.
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What Is Anya Taylor-Joy’s Furiosa About?
The character of Imperator Furiosa was played by Charlize Theron and was one of the highlights of Mad Max: Fury Road. The fourth film in the franchise saw Mel Gibson being replaced by Tom Hardy after he beat out prominent actors such as Armie Hammer, Jeremy Renner, Michael Fassbender, and more.
The film received positive responses from critics and audiences alike, with many highlighting Charlize Theron’s performance as Furiosa. The film was also commercially successful, earning $380 million against a $180 million budget. A sequel was in the works but Miller decided to explore the character of Furiosa more and announced a spin-off film.
While Theron’s performance was lauded along with Hardy’s, the timeline of the film being fifteen years before the events of Fury Road did not allow her to be cast in the lead role. Instead, Anya Taylor-Joy was selected after Miller went through an early cut of Edgar Wright’s Last Night In Soho and an audition.
Australian actor and Thor star Chris Hemsworth was cast in a supporting role. The trailer of the film was recently released, invoking similar imagery of Fury Road, with the post-apocalyptic setting and war rigs in the dusty desert ruins of Earth. The film is all set to release in May 2024.
Will Tom Hardy Appear In Furiosa?
It is the era of shared cinematic universes and any small hint at a known and beloved character making an appearance amps up the excitement for the fans. Similarly, fans have been speculating whether Tom Hardy’s Mad Max would make an appearance in Furiosa as it is only set fifteen years prior to Mad Max: Fury Road.
Recently, in an interview with Omeleteve, director George Miller teased that the film might have Tom Hardy’s Mad Max in the film. While the director did not give an explicit hint as to whether Hardy was confirmed to return, he did mention a small detail,
“This story happens 15 years directly before Mad Max: Fury Road, and it runs straight into it, and Max is lurking around somewhere in this story, but it’s really the story of Furiosa and how she got to be. A lot of the film will be familiar, and a lot of it’s new, which we haven’t seen before.”
The hint has driven fans to begin speculation if Tom Hardy would reprise his role as Max in the prequel. Since the film’s events occurred fifteen years before Fury Road, fans theorize that Hardy might be de-aged to fit the timeline. While there have been no confirmations or denials, fans can only hope to see their beloved iteration of Max as the film will turn a decade soon.
