They say Hollywood is going through a huge creative crisis, most notable in the fact that so many big studios are relying on remakes, retellings, spinoffs, too many sequels to count, or prequels to put butts in the seats in movie theaters. All this is true, but this franchise is a notable exception.
Mad Max is one of the most enduring and beloved movie franchises of all time and a hit with car enthusiasts as well. The "baby" of filmmaker George Miller from day one, it goes back to 1979, when the first Mel Gibson movie came out, spanning three installments before the more recent, non-Mel- Gibson-starring blockbuster Mad Max: Fury Road.
Fury Road, which came out in 2015, featured Tom Hardy as the titular character and introduced Charlize Theron's Furiosa, the unlikely ally and female champion no fan imagined they'd get but which turned out to be a huge hit with both critics and audiences. The news that Furiosa would get a spinoff didn't come as a surprise, then, but the later revelation that Theron wouldn't return for part deux was.
Miller decided against continuing the Fury Roadtimeline and opted for what would qualify as an origin story for Furiosa. Anya Taylor-Joy was brought in to take over from Theron, and Chris Hemsworth was roped in to play the villain.
Photo: YouTube/Warner Bros.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is the first Mad Max film without Max, and the first official trailer makes that clear from the first few seconds. "This is her odyssey," a note flashes on the screen right after we're told that the action takes place 45 years after the collapse of humanity.
Furiosa, whose backstory Fury Road established, was abducted from her home in the Green Place of Many Mothers. The film will document her attempt at keeping the promise she once made that she'll find her way home no matter what – an attempt that will eventually bring her in the service of Immortan Joe.
With the trailer comes the first detailed description of the plot and the revelation of Hemsworth's identity. He is Warlord Dementus, leader of a great Biker Horde, and he rides a chariot-like trike that goes perfectly with his Thor-like, once-red cape.
"Sweeping through the Wasteland, [the bikers] come across the Citadel presided over by The Immortan Joe," the synopsis says. "While the two Tyrants war for dominance, Furiosa must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way home."
This trailer is only a teaser, so we get only a few... teasing images of Miller's instantly recognizable Wasteland with everything that entails: war rigs and Warboys, Immortan Joe doing his best "fierce gaze" look, and plenty of vehicular action. We also get a look at a tanker similar to the one Commander Furiosa drove in Fury Road, and some of the rat rods and modified bikes.
It'll probably be at least another month or more before Warner Bros. drops another trailer for the film, so we have enough time to pour over every scene to take in the awesome vehicles and equally awesome cinematography. If there's one thing that Fury Road did, it was to set the bar very high, and Miller is not the kind of director who disappoints. Ever.
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
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