Warning: Major spoilers for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga below!
Summary
Charlize Theron has a surprise cameo of sorts inFuriosa: A Mad Max Saga, and it’s not from theFury Roadmontage that closes the film.Mad Max: Fury Roadspent over a decade in development hell, and the movie’s shoot was legendarily tough. Not only did it result in the bestMad Maxmovie, but this 2015 sequel was one of the best action movies of the decade, period. While developingFury Road, Miller developed two prequel stories alongside it. One followed Max and is dubbedThe Wasteland, whileFuriosadetailed the origin of Charlize Theron’s Imperator.
This prequel would itself spend years in development hell, but sadly,Furiosa: A Mad Max Sagawas a box-office bomb. The film is doing well on VOD, but it feels like another outing in the series is a long way off.Regardless of the tepid box office,Furiosastill received a broadly positive critical reaction, with Anya Taylor-Joy being praised for her turn as the title character. It was no small task replacing Charlize Theron, but the transition from the prequel version of the character toFury Roadfeels weirdly seamless.
Mad Max: Fury Road
Cast
Mad Max: Fury Road is a post-apocalyptic film set in a desolate desert landscape where society has collapsed. Released in 2015, the story follows two rebels, Max Rockatansky and Imperator Furiosa, as they attempt to survive and bring balance to a world torn by chaos and strife.
In the final shot of Furiosa, it’s even possible to see a shot of Charlize Theron playing the role, as the titular Imperator is seen leading Immortan Joe’s wives to hide in The War Rig.
For much of Anya Taylor-Joy’s screentime in the prequel, she doesn’t bear a huge physical resemblance to Theron’s Furiosa. She retains her long hair and only loses her arm towards the final chapter.Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’sendinghas the character shaving her head and becoming the character seen in the next entry. In the final shot ofFuriosa, it’s even possible to see a shot of Charlize Theron playing the role, as the titular Imperator is seen leading Immortan Joe’s wives to hide in The War Rig.
Why Charlize Theron Isn’t In Furiosa
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga director George Miller explains why Fury Road’s Charlize Theron was recast with Anya Taylor-Joy for the prequel film.
This final scene is dimly lit and Furiosa’s face is hard to see, but brightening the image leaves no doubt that Theron is playing the role. Of course, this isn’t new footage, but a deleted scene recycled fromMad Max: Fury Road. This was confirmed onX, asthe movie’s storyboard artist Mark H Sexton revealed this scene was filmed forFury Roadand repurposed forFuriosa. While some fans would have loved Theron to have reprised the role, this “cameo” is her only real appearance in the film.
Miller was wise to avoid CGI de-aging on Furiosa
AfterMad Max: Fury Roadwas released there were already calls out for a sequel. Unfortunately, the wheels turned slow on the next film, soby the timeFuriosawas greenlit, Charlize Theron had aged out of being able to play a younger take on the Imperator. While CG de-aging was considered, Miller explained toEmpire(viaIGN) that he didn’t feel the tech was there to convincingly pull off the effect after watching other big movies try it.
I began thinking, ‘Oh, maybe we could do de-aging.’ Then I watched really masterful filmmakers like Ang Lee and Martin Scorsese, doing Gemini Man and The Irishman, and I saw that it hadn’t been licked. All you’d be watching is, ‘Look how well the technology works?’ It would not have been persuasive.
Despite this, Miller employed AI to combine the facial features of young Furiosa performer Alyla Browne with Anya Taylor-Joy. This had the effect of making it feel like Browne bore an uncanny resemblance to the adult Furiosa, and then sold the transition between the stars. It’s a shame Theron will likely never get to playFuriosaagain, but it can’t be denied that Taylor-Joy did an incredible job embodying the character.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
A prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa is an action-adventure film that tells the origin story of the headstrong and fearless Furiosa. Set shortly after the beginning of the “end of the world,” Furiosa is kidnapped and brought before a powerful warlord, now forced to work for him. To find her way back home, Furiosa will adapt to the new harsh and arid world as she grows into the Furiosa she becomes known to be.
