George Miller’s “Furiosa” is set to premiere at Cannes next month. The highly anticipated ‘Mad Max’ prequel is on the cover of this month’s Empire Magazine, and there are some very interesting nuggets inside this issue.
Take, for example, the confirmation that “Furiosa” features a 15-minute action sequence that took 78 days to shoot, with 200 stunt people working on it daily. Anya Taylor-Joy, who plays Furiosa, says "it's the longest sequence any of us have ever shot.” It sounds highly ambitious.
Known during production as “Stairway to Nowhere,” the scene was meticulously put together by Miller who, the perfectionist that he is, storyboarded and storyboarded until he found the right way to do it.
I gather what’s going to be a real crutch on 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. Just embrace the fact that Miller, 79, a true visionary, is still making films.
Principal photography on “Furiosa” began June 1, 2022, in Australia, and wrapped in October 2022. 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, as mentioned, will be premiering at the Cannes Film Festival just a few weeks before that.