George Miller’s Mad Max: Furiosa prequel is officially happening, but Charlize Theron’s role as Imperator Furiosa has been recast with Anya Taylor-Joy. Mad Max: Furiosa serves as a prequel and origin story for the titular character in Mad Max: Fury Road, which was released to widespread critical acclaim in 2015. Mad Max: Furiosa is written by George Miller and his Mad Max: Fury Road co-writer Nick Lathouris, and the script was developed as part of the creative process for Mad Max: Fury Road.
Charlize Theron was widely praised for her performance as Imperator Furiosa. Furiosa is a major protagonist in Mad Max: Fury Road and serves as the dramatic center of the film, in a sharp contrast to the male-centric movies that preceded the film. George Miller initially intended to keep Theron as as the younger version of Furiosa and planned to digitally de-age her, but eventually decided to recast the part so that the technology wouldn’t distract from Furiosa’s story. However, the popularity of the character – which was largely due to Theron’s vulnerable portrayal of her – is what’s driving the production of Mad Max: Furiosa, and it would be a shame not to bring Theron back in some capacity.
Charlize Theron should still make an appearance in Mad Max: Furiosa, even if she isn’t playing the titular character. While recasting the role was probably the right decision, Theron’s widely praised portrayal of Furiosa was a major part of Mad Max: Fury Road, and she’s earned an appearance in Furiosa’s origin story. Charlize Theron should be incorporated into the film, and a great way to do that would be having her cameo as a Vuvalini warrior, or appearing as a tease to Furiosa’s dark future. Either way, her participation would be a great way to honor her legacy with the character.
A more interesting way that Mad Max: Furiosa could incorporate Charlize Theron into the film would be by framing the prequel as a story told by present-day Furiosa. Structuring Mad Max: Furiosa as a nested story – that is, a story told within the film by one of the characters – and using Furiosa as a narrator would be a more interesting way to tell her story. The structure automatically introduces a second narrative layer and calls into question whether or not her version of events can be trusted. It would also allow Furiosa’s origin story to still be told with Anya Taylor-Joy while keeping Charlize Theron on as a major part of the project.
George Miller has already made the controversial decision to recast Furiosa. While some fans thought a Furiosa prequel without Charlize Theron was a mistake, recasting the part instead of trying to digital de-age Charlize Theron was probably the right choice – but that doesn’t mean that Theron should be left out of the project entirely. There are several ways for George Miller to honor Theron’s performance as Furiosa and keep her involved in the film – and let’s hope that Mad Max: Furiosa makes the right choice.
