Much like regular people when visiting a new and interesting place, actors get certain keepsakes when production on a film or a series wraps. It's usually small stuff, like a memento or a certain prop their character used more frequently, but it can also be larger and more valuable items like wardrobe pieces. Or a very rare custom bike.
Even diehard Mad Max fans had thoughts when writer-director George Miller announced that he was rebooting the franchise after the success of Fury Road and that he would be doing so with two newcomers, Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth. The former was deemed too delicate to play Furiosa, while the latter too squeaky-clean to play a warlord.
If the first reactions coming out of the Cannes Film Festival, where Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga had its international debut, are any indication, the film will be a smashing success. The first screening ended in a 7-minute standing ovation, echoing the reception Fury Road got almost a decade ago at the same prestigious industry event.
Even if Furiosa doesn't have the box-office and critical success of Fury Road, it will still deliver the same kind of awesome content for auto enthusiasts as the other entries in the franchise. All Mad Max films come with their own sub-category of custom hot rods, which become little stars on their own, starring in documentaries and trade publications.
Photo: Mecum Auctions
Furiosa will be no different. Besides the vehicles shown in the official first trailer, Hemsworth's Dementus warlord will also be riding a limited-edition radial engine motorcycle, and we know this because of the actor's admission that he got to take it home at the end of the production.
Back in 2011, JRL Cycles introduced the JRL Cycles Lucky 7, a prototype for a future production-series motorcycle with a radial aircraft engine, the Rotec R2800 engine developed by Matthew & Paul Chernikeeff in Australia in the late '90s. The chopper-style bike was built around the 7-cylinder 2,800cc radial engine, which came with a power output of 110 hp and 160 lb-ft (217 Nm) of torque.
The initial plan was to build some 50+ units of the Lucky 7, named so because the use of that particular engine implied some dose of luck for whoever was riding the bike. However, as production costs exceeded $100,000 per unit, it was decided that a limited series would do instead. For a short while, this was the only radial-engined motorcycle in the world.
Photo: Warner Bros.
Depending on which account you believe, only four, six, or seven units were built, including the prototype. Reports say producers for Furiosa bought the second production model for the film, remodded it, and turned it into Dementus' main ride.
And Hemsworth got to keep the insane machine at the end of the workday. How's that for the most awesome work perk?
"I don't know if I should admit, I didn't steal but I definitely said, 'This is coming with me'," the actor told one media outlet. "I took the motorbike I had in the film. It had a radial airplane engine as its drive mechanism."
Hemsworth's custom bike isn't shown in the official trailer, but reports coming out of Cannes say that it makes several appearances in the film. It's one more reason to give Furiosa a try, assuming you needed it.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News