The fifth entrant in the Mad Max saga is all set to take things up a notch. If Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’s trailer left any doubts up about how good the flick would turn out to be, its Australian premiere has proved its detractors (though they were small in number) wrong. Just as the movie was nearing its release, Anna Taylor-Joy has dropped a statement that could very well go on to hamper the movie’s chances in the long run and haunt George Miller & Co.
George Miller wanted no transition in the casting of Furiosa
While speaking with Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos on the sets of Live, the Queen’s Gambit star was asked how George Miller managed to cast a younger version of Furiosa that looked so much like her. The 53-year-old found it hard to wrap her head around the fact. She couldn’t believe how Miller & Co. pulled that rabbit out of the hat.
As it turns out, they didn’t. Not in the traditional way though. Spilling the beans, Anna Taylor-Joy shared that George Miller was not at all ready to see any strange transitions with Furiosa. She said,
“George Miller had it very clear in his head because he was already getting an audience to accept a new Furiosa that whoever the two actors that had to play her that transition had to seamless.” (YouTube)
It was this insatiable desire that made the people at the helm resort to some uncanny solutions.
Anna Taylor-Joy shares how AI came to Furiosa’s aid
Realistically, it was bound to be difficult for the casting director to find someone who mirros Anna Taylor-Joy. But they had their own plans. The 28-year-old shared the secret – use of AI. She continued,
“So we don’t actually look that much alike. It’s AI which is really crazy. They were able to composite our faces together and it works on a scale so at the beginning of the movie its 35% my face and then it goes all the way to 80%.”
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos were visibly shocked. After all, it’s not everyday that you witness the use of AI in a big scale movie. And it would be wise to remember that the use of AI doesn’t always work out in the favor of the film. Ask Marvel Studios. They found that out the wrong way with their experiment in Secret Wars.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga could find itself drawn into the AI conspiracy
Secret Wars was not the first time Marvel resorted to the use of AI. Disney’s FaceDirector came to their help bigtime while shooting Avengers: Endgame. But it was with Secret Wars that Marvel resorted to the use of AI properly, using it for completing some shots in the opening credits, and rendering some shots of the OG characters who turned into Skrulls.
The revelations were made by Director Ali Selim. And it attracted a lot of flak. The use of AI was criticized by writers and artists alike. Many share the apprehension that an increasing reliance on AI could signal the end of the livelihood of many professionals. To top all that off, AI might also raise concerns over the copyright of stars over their likeness. And the criticism has no end.
The last thing George Miller would want is for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga to be embroiled in this controversy.
