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Why Charlize Theron Isn't In Furiosa? Here's What George Miller Explains
Director George Miller explains replacing Charlize Theron with Anya Taylor-Joy in Furiosa due to de-aging concerns and Taylor-Joy's potential, assuring fans of the prequel's quality.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga will soon be hitting theaters, bringing the much-awaited storyline of Imperator Furiosa, who was first introduced in the Mad Max universe in its 2015 film, Mad Max: Fury Road. However the character was first portrayed by the acclaimed actress, Charlize Theron in the 2015 film, and fans were expecting Theron only to reprise her role in the 2024 post-apocalyptic action adventure spin-off film.
However, to their shock, the film’s director George Miller decided to recast the character of Furiosa, with an actress who could play the younger version of it in the prequel film. The replacement of Theron was surely unexpected but the film’s director had his share of fair reasons for this decision.
George Miller opened up about the replacement of Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron shook the world as she made her entry into the Mad Max franchise with her strong character of Furiosa. Theron’s dedication in justifying the character impressed both the masses and the critics, making her character widely popular, and prompting makers to create a spin-off film focusing on Furiosa’s early life. Thus the unexpected replacement of Theron from the prequel movie made little sense to the fans.
However, In his interview with Empire, as retrieved via ScreenRant, the maker of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga opened up about his reasons for replacing Charlize Theron in the prequel with Anya-Taylor Joy. Miller made it clear that he was pushed to recast the character because he didn’t want to use de-aging technology on Charlize Theron, to make the actress look younger, as he feared that the de-aging technique would reduce the persuasiveness of the film and the character.
Miller stated, “It definitely would have been Charlize [had Furiosa been made before Fury Road]. As time went on, I began thinking, 'Oh, maybe we could do de-ageing. Then I watched really masterful filmmakers like Ang Lee and Martin Scorsese, doing Gemini Man and The Irishman, and I saw that it hadn't been licked. All you'd be watching is, 'Look how well the technology works?' It would not have been persuasive."
George Miller talked about the casting of Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa
Miller shared that the replacement of Theron was not just fueled by his aversion to de-aging technology whereas it was the potential of Anya Taylor-Joy that made his mind absolute for the replacement. Addressing the casting of Anya Taylor-Joy for the character of Furiosa, the filmmaker shared that her name was recommended to him by Last Night in Soho director Edgar Wright.
Miller further praised Peaky Blinders actress placing his trust in her to do justice to the character of Furiosa. He also mentioned the similarities between Theron and Taylor-Joy, as he shared his reasons for choosing Taylor-Joy as a younger Furiosa.
“Ultimately, it's an intuitive response. There's an innately resolute quality in [Taylor-Joy]. She's a very determined and rigorous person. She has a mystique about her. And she'd been trained young as a ballet dancer. Charlize trained young as a ballet dancer. There's a precision to them that was needed,” Miller remarked.
Despite Miller’s reasons, fans were largely disappointed by the fact that they might not be able to see Theron as Furiosa once again. However, there is still hope left for them, as the makers have already announced the making of Mad Max: The Wasteland, which will be a sequel to the main storyline and will feature the older version of Furiosa. Theron may come back in the upcoming sequel and deliver another stunning performance to her fans.
In the meantime, fans can enjoy the performance of Anya Taylor-Joy in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga which will be released in theaters on May 23, 2024.
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