Charlize Theron is no longer Furiosa: why is Anya Taylor-Joy replacing her in the new Mad Max? – Cinema News

In 2015, in Mad Max: Fury Road, the public discovered Charlize Theron as Furiosa, behind the wheel of her War-Rig. Shaved head, forehead covered in grease, metal arm, determined look: Immortan Joe’s Imperator completely stole the show from Mad Max (Tom Hardy) and entered directly into the pantheon of science fiction… and even cinema in general .

A wildly successful show, public success ($380 million in worldwide revenue) and critical acclaim (an out-of-competition selection at the Cannes Film Festival, 6 Oscars), the feature film relaunches George Miller’s postapocalyptic franchise, and gives fans hopes of suite in the heart of the desolate landscapes of the Wasteland.

“If Furiosa had been filmed before Fury Road, it would certainly have been Charlize Theron who would have played the role”

If he first mentioned a project to bring back Max, the Australian filmmaker finally opted in 2020 for a prequel focused on Furiosa’s youth. A film to understand how the character managed to become an esteemed member of the Citadel’s motorized army. His epic story is therefore told in Furiosa: a Mad Max saga, expected on French screens this May 22 after a visit to the Croisette last week.

Once production has started, the question of the presence of Charlize Theron on the screen arises. As a narrator of her own story? Complicated for an ultimately “silent” character (Furiosa only has 30 lines in the new film). As the main character? Complicated for a prequel. Especially since digital rejuvenation technology is not up to par in the eyes of the director, who fears that “de-aging” will take the audience out of the narrative.

We saw Furiosa in Cannes: the new Mad Max with Anya Taylor-Joy is very different from Fury Road but just as crazy!

Last March, he explained in the columns of Empire magazine: “If Furiosa had been filmed before Fury Road (the scenario had even been written before for an anime, Editor’s note), it is certainly Charlize Theron who would have played the role. I thought about it and started to think that maybe we could rejuvenate it digitally. Then I saw great directors, Ang Lee and Martin Scorsese, directing Gemini Man and The Irishman. I then noticed that the process was not yet completely ready.”.

Anya Taylor-Joy is Furiosa

It is therefore towards a younger actress that George Miller will turn. In this case Anya-Taylor-Joy, who became a global icon thanks to the success of Queen’s Game on Netflix, but whose artistic journey and choices since her debut in The VVitch make her an actress definitely apart. And ideal for portraying the road warrior.

She will ignite Cannes with Furiosa: who is Anya Taylor-Joy, the new post-apocalyptic Mad icon?

“Anya Taylor-Joy is amazing”says producer Doug Mitchell* when we meet him in Cannes on the sidelines of the film’s presentation. “If you’re looking for someone who is a real furnace of activity, it’s Anya. She has the ability to express herself visually. Without speaking. And you know by her body language and her expression, what she means. She’s what I would call a true road warrior. She’s a female version of the best we can get from Max’s character..

A close collaborator of George Miller for 43 years, he is full of praise for the actress: “I think this movie will confirm her as one of the most awesome warrior fighters, because she’s intelligent and just extremely fierce in her process, in her acting abilities. Anya is a very professional actress in the sense that she works extremely hard. Maybe too hard. She doesn’t have a license. But she could drive a car. As she says herself, she doesn’t know how to parallel park, but look at her in one. War Rig or look at her in a Valiant Yeah, hell yeah, she can do it!”

Anya Taylor-Joy: the new Furiosa in 10 roles and 10 faces!

“But how can we forget Charlize Theron. Anya and Charlize are similar in different ways, their ballet experience, various other things that they’ve done physically. So there’s a transparent part of Furiosa. And this growing rage and tenacity that is absolutely captivating for me”.

There is another Furiosa in Furiosa

If the history of Fury Road took place over four days, that of Furiosa tells a journey over several years. BeyondAnya Taylor-Joy, which only appears after 45 minutes of the feature film, it was necessary to present a child Furiosa. It will be the Australian actress Alyla Browne.

Furiosa: do you have to see Fury Road to understand the new Mad Max film with Anya Taylor-Joy?

“She’s phenomenal. She’s 14 now. We were chatting with her and her mom last night. And again, very humble. She’s incredibly gifted intuitively. If you see the scene she had to face, it takes a lot, a lot of internal intuition to be able to deal with that because it was quite dark and she’s adorable.”.

And Charlize Theron in all this?

When his “replacement” was announced, Charlize Theron had obviously expressed his disappointment, while understanding the choices and vision of George Miller. She thus confided to The Hollywood Reporter : “It’s a little heartbreaking, for sure. I absolutely love this character and am so grateful to have played a small part in her creation. She will forever be someone I think of fondly. Obviously I’d like to see this story continue, and if he feels like he has to go about it that way, then I trust him.”.

Hired for a three-film contract, it is in any case not excluded that the South African-American actress will one day return to the Wasteland. After all, the end of Fury Road remained very open about her character within the Citadel. And she would now be more inclined to understand the filmmaker’s vision, as she explained in December 2022:

“I never really appreciated or respected George Miller’s vision until I saw [le film terminé et] to be like, ‘Oh my God, that’s what he had in mind the whole time and I wasn’t willing to hear it. And so it’s the only movie where I’m like, ‘If I had another chance, I would understand a little more about what he was trying to do in the first one.'”

Warning, spoilers…

What if, while waiting for a hypothetical sequel, Charlize Theron had discreetly invited herself into Furiosa ? Without going into too many “spoiler” details, the feature film is linked in its last seconds directly to Fury Road, and on one level, we thought we recognized the actress. And you ? Share your feelings in the comments!

*Comments collected on May 15 in Cannes by Mégane Choquet