The Mad Max franchise is getting a new movie this year, titled Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, which serves as a spinoff prequel to the 2015 movie, Mad Max: Fury Road. The year 2015 also saw the release of a Mad Max game, which for the longest time was considered canon to the movies without much clarity.
The answer to whether or not the game was right to be considered canon could now be finally answered, thanks to the upcoming movie this year. A post on X by popular critic and writer Drew McWeeny might have ended the debate on the canon arguments for good. McWeeny shared his thoughts after reading the script and the notes for the upcoming Mad Max movie.
This Is Why Mad Max Game From 2015 Is Canon
Critic and Writer Drew McWeeny posted his thoughts on X after reading the script for Furiosa a few days back and confirmed that the forgotten and underrated game from 2015 is canon. While replying to a follower, McWeeny mentioned that the game along with Fury Road, and the upcoming movie, are a “more tightly-woven continuity than anything in the other three films.”
The game having come out almost nine years back is said to play a pivotal role in the upcoming movie. Developed by Avalanche Studios Group (ASG) the title was well-received, despite being quite brutal, and wasn’t even considered a part of the movies. McWeeny’s post now clarifies just how much the game is a canon to the movies and even mentioned the return of a popular character in the upcoming spinoff.
Replying to a follower who mentioned loving this character, McWeeny said “You’re gonna see Chumbucket again.” To those unaware, Chumbucket is Max’s mechanic and helps the player navigate Max’s vehicle management.
Spoiler alert for the 2015 game. In the game, Max rams the Mover with the Magnum Opus and Chumbucket inside, leading to both the Magnum Opus and Chumbucket being destroyed. So the return of Chumbucket in the upcoming spinoff is the major canon as revealed by McWeeny.
Max himself isn’t confirmed to be appearing in the spinoff, however, but that will remain to be seen when the movie comes out in May this year. However, if Chumbucket makes an appearance in the upcoming movie, there’s nothing to rule out a cameo by Max himself as well.
George Miller Planned Three Movies, an Anime, and a Game
George Miller is said to have had several ideas planned even before he directed the 2015 movie. A YouTube video posted by the channel, Mad Max Bible, delves deeper into the franchise and it’s mentioned that Miller had plans for three movies, two of which have come to light now and included a third movie project, The Wasteland.
Miller planned to adapt his Fury Road script for the anime, as the movie kept getting stalled. His plans for a video game production were in collaboration with Cory Barlog, but was directed by Warner Bros. to only work on the movie and have no say about the game.
At the same time, Barlog was working with ASG as a consultant but any hopes of him working on Miller’s version of the game didn’t take shape after Barlog moved back to Santa Monica Studio.
Warner Bros. partnered with ASG and went ahead with developing the game after ASG was allowed to use materials that didn’t make it to the 2015 movie. This also led to the difference and canon between the game and the movie, with Scrotus being the main antagonist in the game, while not appearing in the movie adaptation.
The upcoming movie remains a highly anticipated one this year, and is all set for release on the 23rd of May. Though the game was appreciated and continues to remain a fan favorite even now, there are no talks of the title getting a spinoff, at least not yet.
Follow us for more entertainment coverage on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
