I gather what’s going to be a real crutch on George Miller’s “Furiosa” is that everyone will be comparing it to “Fury Road.” It’s inevitable. People are already doing that, complaining about how, based on the trailer alone, the film uses way more CGI than “Fury Road.”
I hate to break it to these people, but there’s no way “Furiosa” was ever going to be as good as “Fury Road”. No chance. Miller caught lightning in a bottle with “Fury Road” and he must surely know that. Here’s Miller explaining (via Empire Magazine) that if “Fury Road” was a chase movie whose story took place in a very short 72 hour time frame, “Furiosa” will be more epic and span 15 years in the life of its titular character:
[In] Fury Road, the story unfolds over three days and two nights. This film follows the story that runs directly into Fury Road, for 15 years. It’s a different animal. It’s got many different locations. It’s an odyssey. No question.
The story is the saga of Furiosa, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, and how she gets taken from her home, “The Green Place,” at a young age, and spends the rest of her life trying to get back. Along the way, she falls into the hands of a great Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) and eventually meets her soon-to-be master Immortan Joe.
Speaking at Brazil’s CCXP event, Miller confirmed that “Furiosa” takes place "15 years directly before Fury Road, and [...] runs straight into it. “Fury Road” and “Furiosa” could be seen as one whole film, but with Furiosa played by two different actresses, the other, of course, being Charlize Theron.
As for a possible appearance from Max himself, Miller stays mum about it, adding that “Max is lurking around somewhere around this story”. If he does show up, will Max be played by Tom Hardy? Mel Gibson? Or a new actor?
Principal photography on “Furiosa” began June 1, 2022, in Australia, and wrapped last October. According to IMDb, the budget is $168 million. The cost of “Mad Max: Fury Road” was around the same, with estimations ranging between $154-185 million.
“Furiosa” is set to be released in theaters on May 24, 2024 and will most likely premiere at the Cannes Film Festival a few weeks before that.
Criterion's December lineup has some great additions to the library, but the title that jumped out at me is Werner Herzog's "Grizzly Man," which officially joins the Collection on December 8.