George Miller's
"Furiosa", the prequel to 2015's
"Mad Max: Fury Road" is gearing up for production, and we have our first major casting announcement. The veteran filmmaker will direct, co-write and produce the film.
Anya Taylor-Joy has been tapped to play the protagonist, a younger version of Furiosa, who was played by
Charlize Theron in the original. According to Miller, he'd been searching for an actress in her 20s to take over the role. Initially he considered using de-aging technology to allow Theron, who is 44, to play the part again, but ultimately decided against it. Taylor-Joy is 24.
Taylor-Joy recently finished work on
Edgar Wright's
"Last Night in Soho" and is currently filming
Robert Eggers'
"The Northman".
The cast will also include
Chris Hemsworth (
"Thor",
"Extraction") and
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (
"Aquaman"). Hemsworth can next be seen
"Thor: Love and Thunder", an untitled
Hulk Hogan biopic, and a sequel to the Netflix action film
"Extraction". Abdul-Mateen II is currently filming the fourth installment in
"The Matrix" series and will also star in the
"Candyman" reboot.
"Mad Max: Fury Road" production designer
Colin Gibson, editor
Margaret Sixel, sound mixer
Ben Osmo, and makeup designer
Lesley Vanderwalt will return to work on the prequel. Each of them won an Oscar for
"Fury Road".