The first trailer for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga has blasted online, leaving the acrid stench of petrol in our nostrils as gawp at director George Miller's penchant for gorgeously-lensed vehicular destruction. Here's the striking new poster.
In this prequel to 2015's apocalyptic Mad Max: Fury Road, Anya Taylor-Joy plays the younger iteration of Charlize Theron's war rig driver Imperator Furiosa. We're presumably going to be updated as to the character's tragic backstory, her tenacious drive and her ascent to becoming a shaven-headed warrior.
As Miller once again turns the desert landscapes into an arresting tapestry, we also have the presence of Chris Hemsworth. He's taking a break from Thor duties to play a character, credited in some quarters as 'Warlord Dementus', who may or may not be the younger Furiosa's enemy.
Watch the trailer below and then scroll down to discover the questions we want answered.
Will we visit the Green Place?
In Mad Max: Fury Road, the older Furiosa demonstrated her vulnerable side upon discovering the destruction of the Green Place. This was an area that she remembered from her childhood, now destroyed and desiccated.
Given that Furiosa acts as a prequel, it would make sense we'd see the Green Place in its original state as Furiousa remembered it: lush, idyllic, peaceful and safe. The trailer indicates that Furiosa was taken from this Eden against her will when she was a child. No doubt this hastens her transformation into a no-nonsense fighting machine (the trailer bills it as an 'odyssey' of discovery).
Will we find out how Furiosa lost her arm?
Theron's incarnation of Furiosa was defined by many things, not least her biomechanical left arm. Incumbent actor Anya Taylor-Joy is seen sporting the same arm in the Furiosa trailer, so we imagine there's some painful backstory leading us to that point.
Is Chris Hemsworth playing the villain?
The ordinarily hunky Hemsworth is almost unrecognizable in the Furiosa trailer with his prosthetic nose and greasy visage. Whoever he's playing, he seems to be in charge of captive men, women and children, which would usually place him in the bad guy realm.
He appears to be a master of ceremonies character, addressing a large crowd with, "Lady and gentlemens, start your engines." Grammatically, this doesn't work but appears to be deliberate – is he pitting the singular Furiosa against a host of other rig operators in a fight to the death?
Will we discover Furiosa's history with Immortan Joe?
The dreaded warlord Immortan Joe was the central villain in Mad Max: Fury Road. In that movie, the older Joe was played in intimidating fashion by the late Hugh Keays-Byrne. The younger Joe is set to appear in Furiosa, as are his bleached 'war boys', although the actor doesn't seem to have been confirmed.
More intriguing is the relationship between Joe and Hemsworth's mystery man. We only get one shot of them glaring intently at one another – are they on the same side? Does Hemsworth's character have a part to play in transforming the younger Joe into Furiosa's nemesis?
Will the dude with the flamethrower guitar be returning?
Please let it be so.
Will we discover the origins of the war rig?
The older Furiosa was nothing without her battle-equipped tanker, which she used to rescue Immortan Joe's 'wives' from a life of slavery and captivity. There's a shot of a similar-looking tanker in the Furiosa trailer, albeit looking much shinier and polished (this does take place some years before Fury Road, lest we forget). Is it the same vehicle? And is it the younger Furiosa behind the wheel?
Will we meet a younger Mad Max?
At this stage, we're imagining that the events of Furiosa will segue neatly into those of Mad Max: Fury Road. Can we, therefore, expect a cameo from Tom Hardy's Max? That would only work if we jump ahead to the relevant Fury Road timeline. Otherwise, we'll have to get acquainted with a younger Max (and, by extension, a new actor) as well as a younger Furiosa.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is released on May 24th, 2024. Is it on your must-watch list for 2024? If you're already assembling a collection of must-see movies for next year, then it's high time you joined Unlimited. Membership pays for itself in less than two visits per month and brings with it a host of other exciting perks, so click the link below to find out more.
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