George Miller has revealed that Anya Taylor-Joy will have more to do than say in the upcoming Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. The prequel film set 15 to 20 years before Mad Max: Fury Road is slated to feature Taylor-Joy as the younger version of the iconic character played by Charlize Theron in the 2015 film.
Despite many fans wondering how The Witch actress can do justice to the iconic character, a new update suggests that the upcoming feature may be an incredible addition to the Mad Max franchise.
According to the Mad Max filmmaker George Miller, the leading actress has only about 30 lines to say in the upcoming film, even less than what Tom Hardy spoke in his 2015 film. Although such a decision made by any other director could have enraged the fans, Miller’s statement suggests that this can make the upcoming prequel better.
Why did George Miller reduce Anya Taylor-Joy’s dialogues in Furiosa?
George Miller took a massive time of about 15 years to write Mad Max: Fury Road along with his co-writer Nick Lauthoris. During this long time, Miller and Lauthoris wrote the backstories of different characters. One of these materials was a screenplay focusing on Imperator Furiosa, which eventually resulted in the upcoming film.
Now, in a long elaborate interview with The Telegraph, George Miller has revealed that he has only given 30 dialogues to Anya Taylor-Joy in the upcoming film. The filmmaker suggested that dialogue “tends to slow things down,” and he believes that films are “best enjoyed at high speed.”
Even though many fans may object that dialogues add more drama to the feature, it can’t be denied that even Tom Hardy only had 63 lines in Mad Max: Fury Road. It also suggests that the film will run on more high-octane action sequences than wordplay.
While the idea looks promising enough, the film will focus on the entire journey of Furiosa in 148 minutes. It will be interesting to see how those 30 dialogues prove effective in fleshing out the journey of such an iconic character.
The film co-starring Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth is waiting for its premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on May 15, 2024. The early reviews have already suggested that it is an epic addition to the renowned franchise. Now, it is to be seen if the audience also reflects the same emotion.
George Miller also hinted at another Mad Max prequel
It looks like Furiosa is not the only prequel that Miller has planned for the Mad Max saga. The filmmaker has teased in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that during the development of the Tom Hardy film, they also planned a script for a prequel on Max Rockatansky.
George Miller claimed that Furiosa will also feature a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo of Tom Hardy’s character with his beloved car, the Interceptor. He also added that they have a prequel story of Max Rockatansky in mind and will do it as soon as they get a chance.
“In doing what we did in the preparation of Mad Max: Fury Road, we also wrote what happened to Max in the year before we encounter him in [that film]… The writers know what happened to Mad Max in that year before, and we have a whole story of that, which I would like to do sometime if I get the chance.”
Nevertheless, many fans would also be excited to look into the events that unfolded after Mad Max: Fury Road. Prequel stories give us more insight into the backstories of the characters, but the sequels can bring more excitement and thrill among fans.
Earlier, GQ reported that Tom Hardy signed for three sequels before the release of his 2015 epic. It suggests that the Venom fame may soon return to the dystopian wasteland. Moreover, it also depends on the commercial reception of Furiosa.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga will be released on May 24, 2024, while Mad Max: Fury Road can be streamed on Max.
