George Miller says Charlize Theron won’t be returning for Mad Max: Furiosa

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD was one hell of a film, and audiences have been anxiously waiting for George Miller to return to the wasteland ever since. Miller certainly has plans for several MAD MAX projects, one of which will be a spin-off focusing on Imperator Furiosa, who was very memorably brought to life by Charlize Theron. While speaking with The New York Times, Miller revealed that Theron won't be back to reprise the role as the spin-off will be a prequel.

This falls in line with reports earlier this year that George Miller was looking at younger actresses in their 20s (namely Anya Taylor-Joy) to star in the spin-off. Miller added that he had hoped to use digital de-aging on Charlize Theron so that she could continue to play the role, but that "despite the valiant attempts on THE IRISHMAN, I think there's still an uncanny valley. Everyone is on the verge of solving it, particular Japanese video-game designers, but there’s still a pretty wide valley, I believe." Theron has certainly left some big shoes to fill, but it might be worth it to explore the origins of the character. Miller said that he's hoping to dive into the Furiosa spin-off once he completes shooting on THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING, a drama set to star Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba which was delayed by the COVID-19 shutdown.

While Charlize Theron may not be returning, there are a few crew-members from MAD MAX: FURY ROAD who have already signed on, including production designer Colin Gibson and cinematographer John Seale. Gibson teased that the Furiosa spin-off has the potential to be even bigger than FURY ROAD, saying that while 135 different vehicles were built for the film, "the next possible iternation, which is on the table, has even more." I'm more than ready. Bring it on.