When We Went MAD!

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is a 2024 epic post-apocalyptic action film directed and produced by George Miller, who wrote the screenplay with Nico Lathouris. It is the fifth installment in the Mad Max franchise, and the first not focused on Max Rockatansky, instead a spinoff prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) and an origin story for Furiosa. Starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Alyla Browne as said character and set years before Fury Road, the film follows her life for over a decade, from her kidnapping by the forces of warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) to her ascension to the rank of Imperator. Tom Burke also stars as Praetorian Jack, a military commander who befriends Furiosa. Several Fury Road cast members return in supporting roles, including John Howard, Nathan Jones, and Angus Sampson reprising their characters. The film begins in what can be seen as a green paradise of a solarpunk future and quickly moves to the more traditional dieselpunk, which the Mad Max franchise is known for. Miller initially intended to shoot Furiosa back-to-back with Fury Road, but the former spent several years in development hell amidst salary disputes with Warner Bros. Pictures, Fury Road's distributor. Several crew members from Fury Road returned for Furiosa, including Lathouris, producer Doug Mitchell, composer Tom Holkenborg, costume designer Jenny Beavan, and editor Margaret Sixel (Miller's wife). Filming took place in Australia from June to October 2022. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga premiered at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on 15 May 2024. It was released theatrically in Australia on 23 May 2024 and in the United States the following day. The film received highly positive reviews from critics and multiple award nominations. It was named one of the Top Ten Films of 2024 by the National Board of Review, but was a box-office bomb, grossing $174.4 million against its budget of $168 million.