The prequel to Mad Max Fury Road has been greenlit for a 2023 release, and Aussie Hollywood A-lister Chris Hemsworth will star alongside the film's protagonist.
Titled Furiosa, the fifth instalment in the franchise will also feature The Queen’s Gambit star Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa – played by Charlize Theron in Fury Road – and Aquaman cast member Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
The blockbuster will be filmed around Sydney and Broken Hill, and according to NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, it will be the biggest movie ever filmed in New South Wales.
Berejiklian added the film will pump an estimated $350 million dollars into the local economy and create around 850 jobs.
Returning to the role as the franchise’s director and creator is industry heavyweight and Academy Award winner George Miller.
The Australian film great said he was excited to get back in the Mad Max director’s chair, adding, “this is a story that I can’t wait to see in a cinema”.
Fellow Aussie Hemsworth echoed Miller’s sentiments about the latest chapter in the iconic franchise.
“It’s a huge honour,” he said. “A lot of pressure but exciting pressure that is certainly motivating.”
"It's something I'm going to put my heart and soul into because it really is for me, out of everything I've done, the biggest pinch-myself moment because I've grown up watching it," Hemsworth added.
Warner Bros. Pictures, who own the rights to the Mad Max franchise, will be hoping this new film does as well as 2015’s Fury Road, which not only took home US$375 million (A$482 million) at the box office but also scored six Academy Awards.
COMMENTS