Winner of six Oscars, feted with no shortage of acclaim, and earning some pretty strong box office as well, it’s been a bit surprising how silent Warner Bros. has been about a follow-up to “Mad Max: Fury Road.” George Miller made it clear all last year he’s got material ready to go that was borne from creating backstories for the characters in ‘Fury Road.’
“…we ended up with two scripts, without really trying,” the director said last fall. “We’re talking to the studio [Warner Bros.] about it as we speak, but which one of the two stories will happen next, I’m not so sure.”
Indeed, there’s long been talk about a Furiosa-focused spinoff, and even though Charlize Theron herself has claimed not to have heard anything about more movies, a new rumor has cropped up suggesting that the she’s indeed returning for another full-throttle adventure.
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Australia’s The Herald-Sun is reporting that pre-production is now underway on a prequel to “Mad Max: Fury Road” called “Mad Max: The Wasteland” (a title that Miller confirmed would be the name for the next entry in the series). Theron will reprise her role, though it’s unclear if Tom Hardy will also be returning. The pair famously battled throughout the production of ‘Fury Road,’ so it’ll be interesting to see if they reunite on screen. That said, if this is Furiosa’s story, there’s no need for Mad Max to be in the tale at all (and it should be noted, Miller has said his ‘Fury Road’ sequel idea doesn’t feature Furiosa).
But again, this is a rumor for now, and it’s worth remembering that Miller said he wanted to shoot a small, “Tangerine“-esque sized movie before getting back into the world of “Mad Max.” However, given how ‘Fury Road’ had to move production from Australia to Namibia due to extensive rains, perhaps he wants to strike while the weather is currently normal at home.
Production could begin as early as late this year (if this story is true), but for now, Warner Bros. is staying mum. Perhaps they’ll have more to say closer to the release of the “Black & Chrome” edition of ‘Fury Road.’