Furiosa 2024: Why was Charlize Theron replaced by Dune 2 star Anya Taylor-Joy in Mad Max film prequel?

Anya Taylor-Joy stars as Imperator Furiosa in upcoming 2024 dystopian action film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, replacing the Mad Max: Fury Road actress Charlize Theron in a major recast.  

Taylor-Joy is best known for her major roles in Netflix drama The Queen’s Gambit, and BBC crime drama Peaky Blinders, as well as big films including Last Night in Soho, The Menu, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance in Dune: Part Two.

But fans of the franchise may be wondering why the younger actress was picked to replace Theron, who won a Critics' Choice Award for her portrayal.

Why isn’t Charlize Theron in Furiosa?

Charlize Theron played Furiosa, an officer in Immortan Joe's army who rebelled against his rule in the 2015 film Mad Max: Fury Road. In the movie she kills Joe, freeing his ‘wives’, sex slaves whom he uses to increase the population.

Theron will not return to the role in the prequel as it is expected to be set 10 to 15 years before the events of Fury Road. Theron was around 39 when Fury Road was filmed, though in the film her character is suggested to be around 30.

Furiosa will be set around 45 years after the societal collapse, which we see in full swing in the first Mad Max film, when Furiosa is around 20 years old. Anya Taylor-Joy would have been around 26 when the prequel was filmed, so if her character is supposed to be roughly 20, it makes more sense for her to play the character than Theron, who is now 48.

The movie follows Furiosa as she is taken from her family in the dystopian future in which the Mad Max universe takes place, and follow her as she sets her sights on finding her way home. Although given the plot of Fury Road, it’s unlikely Furiosa will be successful in that regard.

Who else is in the cast of Furiosa?

Those starring alongside Taylor-Joy include Chris Hemsworth, who will play Dementus, the warlord leader of a biker gang, and Charlee Fraser, Tom Burke, Angus Sampson, and Nathan Jones in unknown roles.

Is Mad Max in Furiosa?

Mad Max is not expected to feature in Furiosa - the character was played by Mel Gibson in the first three movies, and later recast with Tom Hardy taking over in the 2015 soft reboot. As Max and Furiosa met for the first time in Fury Road, it wouldn’t make sense for them to interact in the prequel.

When is Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga coming out?

Furiosa will be released exclusively in cinemas in the UK on May 24 2024. It is not currently set for a streaming release date.