Mad Max: Fury Road director George Miller has provided an update on the development of a sequel. Speaking with Variety, Miller revealed that he does have a story in mind for Mad Max 5 (currently titled Mad Max: The Wasteland), though there is still a lot of work to be done before Max Rockatansky rides again.
“We do have another story but it’s still not fully evolved. We’ll see further down the chain.”
Released in 2015, Mad Max: Fury Road reignited George Miller’s iconic franchise, sending the titular character as he joins forces with Charlize Theron’s Imperator Furiosa to flee from cult leader Immortan Joe and his army in an armoured tanker truck. The movie is made up almost exclusively of a lengthy road battle, with the action sequences and Miller’s vibrant vision of a post-apocalyptic future earning Mad Max: Fury Road several Academy Awards.
At present, it does not sound like Miller knows when Mad Max 5 will see the light of day, but it is at least promising to hear that the project is still gestating somewhere in his brilliant mind. It is unknown what the story would be, or whether Tom Hardy would return to the role of Max, though the actor did reveal at the time that he is attached to star in three more Mad Max movies. As for the story, it is likely that Mad Max: The Wasteland would see the Road Warrior further explore the desolate world in which he now inhabits.
George Miller is Currently Filming Mad Max: Fury Road Prequel, Furiosa
While Mad Max 5 is unlikely to hit the big screen anytime soon, George Miller will return to the franchise with the upcoming Fury Road prequel, Furiosa. As you can no doubt garner from the title, Furiosa will explore the early years of Imperator Furiosa, with The Northman star Anya Taylor-Joy set to take over the role from Charlize Theron.
Unlike Mad Max: Fury Road, which takes place over a very brief period time, Furiosa will be epic in its scope. “I’ll tell you how it’s going when it’s finished, but it has got off to a lovely start,” George Miller said recently. “All I can say about my excitement about doing it is that it’s definitely exciting, because even though it’s certainly of that world of Fury Road, it’s also got a lot of the differences we’ve been talking about. Again, it’s uniquely familiar. And probably the biggest difference is the timespan. Fury Road happened over three days and two nights and this one happens over 15 years. So, it’s a saga.”
Furiosa will also star Thor: Love and Thunder’s Chris Hemsworth, with the Marvel hero set to play “against type” as the villain of the piece. Mank star Tom Burke has also been cast in an unspecified role, taking over from Aquaman star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
Filming on Furiosa is now underway in Australia, with Furiosa scheduled for release on May 24, 2024. Here’s hoping that we aren’t left waiting too long for Mad Max 5...