Mad Max: Fury Road is arguably the best action movie of the 2010s. Starring Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron in the lead, the film was an astonishing feat in action filmmaking. Though the oscar-winning film didn't exactly set the box office on fire, it did enough to warrant a sequel. Fans have been demanding a follow-up film for years and finally, their wish has been granted with Mad Max: Furiosa, which stars Anya Taylor-Joy.

The Mad Max prequel, titled Furiosa, is based on Charlize Theron's eponymous character and will release in summer 2023. But it won't star any of the actors from Fury Road. Instead, Anya Taylor-Joy will portray the role of Imperator Furiosa in her origin story. And according to Miller, Furiosa will span many years. "Whereas Fury Road essentially happened over three days and two nights, this happens over many years," Miller said recently during a press conference.

Taylor-Joy recently sat down with her Emma co-star Josh O'Connor on Variety's Actors on Actors series. From O'Connor playing Prince Charles in The Crown to Taylor-Joy's experience on her breakout Netflix role, they talked about a multitude of things, including Anya Taylor Joy's projects that aren't The Queen's Gambit. Here is what Taylor-Joy said when O'Connor asked her when she starts filming the Mad Max prequel.

"No. I've got a grace period until August, and then I will be working back-to-back until mid-2023. The thing that makes me most excited about Furiosa is, No. 1, George Miller. That brain is incredible. I'm also really excited to do something physical. To physically become something else is something that will weirdly give me a lot of peace."

Alongside Taylor-Joy, Furiosa also stars Chris Hemsworth and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. All three have been on a tear lately. Abdul-Mateen is starring in high-profile films like Aquaman 2 and The Matrix 4. Taylor-Joy played a chess prodigy in Netflix's Emmy frontrunner The Queen's Gambit and will be next seen in Edgar Wright's Psychological Horror Last Night in Soho. Hemsworth is starring in Thor Love and Thunder and will play Hulk Hogan in his biopic. Hemsworth and Abdul-Mateen's roles are under wraps, though it is certain that neither of them will play Max Rockatansky. Miller returns to direct Furiosa with a screenplay he co-wrote with Nico Lathouris. Why Theron and Hardy aren't returning remains a mystery.

Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron didn't get along while filming Fury Road. One of the reasons was a long grueling shoot in the harsh Namibian desert. After a terrible test screening, the film underwent reshoots further amplifying the toxicity between the actors. George Miller was also on the receiving side of some of Hardy's outbursts. But, at the film's Cannes premiere, Hardy publicly apologized to Miller.

Maybe that's the reason why Mad Max: The Wasteland, Miller's proposed sequel to Fury Road, wasn't greenlit by Warner Bros. Though both Hardy and Theron eventually reconciled and have expressed a desire to reprise their roles in other Mad Max movies. A lawsuit Miller filed against WB regarding profits from Fury Road also delayed the sequel. But everything seems to be on track now. WB is probably trying to determine if fans are still interested in a Mad Max movie before going forward with other films. After all, Fury Road's budget was around $180 million and it barely made it back. Hopefully, Miller and WB are on the same page now and things go smoothly. We look forward to see Hardy and Theron in future Mad Max films.

Furiosa starts filming soon in Australia and will hit theatres on June 23, 2023. Stay tuned for more updates. This news comes to us from Variety.