George Miller hints at more 'Mad Max' stories at Cannes
Oscar-winning filmmaker George Miller, known for the Mad Max franchise, hinted at potential future narratives from the post-apocalyptic world during a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival. Responding to questions about the franchise's future after the release of Furiosa, a prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, Miller stated, "There's certainly more stories there." He also emphasized that understanding Furiosa and Max's backstory was crucial for telling the story of Fury Road.
Miller to monitor 'Furiosa' performance, producer praised Warner Bros.
Miller indicated his interest in tracking the box office performance of Furiosa, stating, "I'll definitely see how this goes." Meanwhile, producer Doug Mitchell lauded Warner Bros. for their financial risk-taking with Furiosa. The film was a decade in development and required substantial investment. Mitchell said, "It's a massive film, it's very expensive to do that and Warners to take a risk supported by the Australian government...hopefully audiences will embrace it."
Safety and responsibility was paramount in 'Furiosa' production
Mitchell emphasized the importance of safety during the production of Furiosa, stating, "We wake up with the reality that we can hurt somebody. Our priority led by George is not to injure anybody." He added that their second responsibility was to complete the film. Miller also revealed that a script for another potential prequel, The Wasteland, already exists, though details remain undisclosed.
Casting decisions and positive reception for 'Furiosa'
Miller shared insights into the casting decisions for Furiosa. Charlize Theron was shown the script for Furiosa before Fury Road, influencing her decision to join the latter film. However, due to Furiosa's age range in the prequel, spanning from 8 to 18 years, Theron was not considered. Instead, Alyla Browne and Anya Taylor-Joy were cast as younger and older versions of Furiosa, respectively. The film has so far received positive reviews with an 88% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.