George Miller talks about why he chose to recast FURIOSA instead of getting younger

What it started with Mad Max in 1979, followed up with the incredibly well-received 2015 film Mad Max: Road Furyset in the same post-apocalyptic wasteland and telling the story of the intrepid Furiosa, played by Charlize Theron. The director knew from the beginning that he wanted to go back and tell her character’s backstory, and Theron wished he had done that before with her in the role. But as it turned out, Way of Fury was made, and when Miller was in the early stages of developing the prequel, he considered casting Theron and aging the character, as others have done in recent years.

He explained in a recent interview with Empire (via/Film):

“As time went on, I started thinking, ‘Oh, maybe we could get younger. Then I saw really masterful directors like Ang Lee and Martin Scorsese, making ‘Gemini Man’ and ‘The Irishman,’ and I saw that it hadn’t been licked. All you were looking at was, ‘Look how well the technology works.’ That wouldn’t have been convincing.”

I support this idea. I don’t mind getting older for a flashback scene. It has been used well Ant-Man and the Wasp. But an entire movie would be incredibly distracting because, as Miller suggested, that technology hasn’t been perfected yet.

As for why Miller chose Anya Taylor-Gioia To take on the role in the prequel, the director explained that it actually had a lot to do with his friend Edgar Wrightwhich Taylor-Joy was directing Last night in Soho, who recommended the actress to Miller. “She said, ‘If you’re thinking about choosing her, whatever she is, DO IT!’” Miller recalls.

Taylor-Joy told Empire that, aside from Wright’s enthusiasm, she wasn’t entirely sure why Miller thought she could do Furiosa justice. For Miller:

“Ultimately, it’s an intuitive response. There’s an innately resolute quality about her. She’s a very determined, rigorous person. She has a mystique about her. And she was trained young as a dancer. Charlize trained young as a dancer. There’s a precision that was needed.”

Once she landed the part, Taylor-Joy faced the challenge of becoming Furiosa without imitating Theron’s portrayal. She explained to Empire that she tried to make her character her instead of copying her predecessor:

“I think it would have really tripped me up if I had done that. She was so gracious and classy in letting me go and do it. But I feel very lucky that, from the moment I read the script, I knew this person. I felt so fiercely protective of Furiosa, and fiercely protective of her interests.”

I think both director and star are taking exactly the right approach to this new film. It looks like fans are in for a surprise. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga will be released in theaters on May 24, 2024.