Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is taking us back in time to tell the prequel story of Furiosa. But, of course, though this movie will focus on Furiosa, the character of Mad Max is still lurking somewhere in the world. But will we see Max Rockatansky, a.k.a. Mad Max, appear in the Furiosa film? The answer, according to director George Miller, is yes. But there’s more to the story than that. Here’s what we know.
Mad Max Will Cameo in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Prequel Movie
When asked about Max Rockatansky’s appearance in Furiosa, George Miller shared the following with Entertainment Weekly. He noted, “In doing what we did in the preparation of Mad Max: Fury Road, we also wrote what happened to Max in the year before we encounter him in [that film]. And as we get towards the end of this movie, the chronology… Basically, we had to see that Mad Max was lurking around somewhere because we do know what happened.”
Both Mad Max and his iconic car, The Interceptor, will appear in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. However, Entertainment Weekly notes that this appearance will be “a humorously appropriate blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo.” Though Mad Max will appear in Furiosa, it does not sound like Tom Hardy will return to play him. But, we guess you never know.
Tom Hardy Was Never Invited to Cameo as Mad Max in Furiosa
Speaking to the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, director George Miller reveals that Tom Hardy was never invited to play Max in his Furiosa cameo. Josh Horowitz notes, “We get a glimpse of the film of Max. Max is in the film kind of witnessing the events from afar for a moment. Was there ever a consideration of using Tom [Hardy] for the film? Did you ever see if Tom could make the trip for the cameo?”
To which Miller replied, “No, no. No because, just in terms of the logistics of it. We were shooting during COVID. And Jacob Tomuri, who is a wonderful stuntman from New Zealand, did so much brilliant work with Tom, and I think he subsequently has worked with Tom quite a bit, and he did some other stunt sequences in the movie. So I thought, well, he’s here, and he certainly knows the character, and he certainly looks the part for the shot. But, no, we didn’t think in terms of Tom.”
The Mad Max Appearance in Furiosa Could Lead Into Another Mad Max Saga Prequel Movie
Mad Max’s momentary cameo in Furiosa could lead to something even bigger, though. Miller goes onto say, “The writers know what happened to Mad Max in that year before, and we have a whole story of that, which I would like to do sometime if I get the chance.” Sounds like another Mad Max Saga prequel is already cooking and Furiosa could lead right into it.
Additionally, the director noted, “There’s certainly more stories there,” and hinted that he had a deep understanding of Max’s tale. Miller shared that the story was potentially already in his mind “because in order to tell the story of Fury Road, we needed to know about Furiosa and Max in the years before.”
Miller also recently weighed in on whether he would need to recast Tom Hardy should a Mad Max prequel get a greenlight. He noted, “We’ll have to see. I’m not even sure we’ll be doing it.”
Other Mad Max Saga Movies Could Also Exist
According to Deadline, “Miller has said that there’s a script for another Max Max movie, The Wasteland, and while he’s mum on it, it sounds like another prequel.” The publication teases that it may be the backstory of Immortan Joe. However, according to Miller, on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, the story actually has to do with “Max and a young mother and a journey they go through.” Although it’s early days, Miller reveals that the film will have a lot of action, but will also be a saga spanning a year.
Given Tom Hardy’s absence from Furious, we’re curious to see if this movie will be designed with him in mind as the star. But as Miller says, it’s too soon to know much about it.
Regardless of where we head, we certainly wouldn’t say no to more of our favorite dusty world.
Originally published on May 7, 2024.
