Actress Anya Taylor-Joy’s starpower has been steadily growing over the last few years, partly thanks to her roles in projects like Split and Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit. The latter earned her an Emmy nomination, and she’s got some exciting projects coming up like playing the title character of Furiosa. Now Taylor-Joy has spoken about tackling the role made famous by Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road.
The delayed Furiosa movie will serve as a prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, and will reveal the dark backstory of George Miller’s character. The pressure is on for Anya Taylor-Joy to deliver the same ferocity that Charlize Theron did during that infamous 2015 blockbuster. It sounds like she’s expecting the role to be a transformative experience, recently saying:
I’m just so excited [to play Furiosa]. I know that whatever person I will be at the end of it will be remarkably different than the person I am now and I’m excited for that kind of growth. I think you only really get that growth through challenging yourself intensely and I can’t imagine a better role, a better director and a better story to do that for. I’m really looking forward to it.
Considering how notoriously grueling filming Mad Max: Fury Road was for the cast and crew, it seems like Anya Taylor-Joy might just have her wish. George Miller’s plans for the prequel are largely a mystery, but Taylor-Joy’s casting definitely helped to pique the public’s interest.
Anya Taylor-Joy’s comments to the Associated Press help to show just how much her upcoming role in Furiosa means to the 25 year-old actress. She previously spoke to some of the preparation she’s been going through, including extensive work behind the wheel. After all, she’s presumably going to show off the sweet driving skills that were on display during Fury Road.
Given just how iconic Charlize Theron’s run as Furiosa was in Mad Max: Fury Road, Anya Taylor-Joy definitely has some big shoes to fill in the prequel. Theron herself has expressed disappointment that she wasn’t asked to portray the character in George Miller’s upcoming blockbuster. After all, she’s one of the top female action stars in the business and helped to create the role.
Alas, George Miller will be collaborating with the New Mutants star Anya Taylor-Joy for Furiosa’s prequel. This will likely allow him to go potentially decades ahead of the events of Fury Road. Moviegoers are no doubt curious about her dark backstory, specifically seeing her lose her arm sometime throughout the movie’s runtime. We’ll just have to see what Miller has in store for us.
It’s currently unclear when Furiosa will begin production, but George Miller is expected to return as both director and writer. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.