In 2015, Mad Max: Fury Road introduced the world to the Imperator Furiosa, a formidable and unforgettable addition to George Miller’s Mad World, who managed to upstage Max himself. Now, the Wasteland Warrior has taken the wheel for her own Mad Max saga, with Furiosa chronicling 16 years of her traumatic life, from her abduction at the age of 10 to her ascent through the ranks of Immortan Joe’s army.
As Miller hints in an exclusive interview ahead of the film’s UK premiere, Furiosa’s journey may not end with the events depicted in the latest installment. “I’ve often speculated when we see Furiosa go up to the Citadel on that platform at the very end [of Fury Road] and nod goodbye to Max who wanders to the Wasteland… I often think: ‘What does she do, sitting up at the top of the dominant hierarchy? Does she fall into the trap that most revolutionaries do? You know, yesterday’s hero becomes tomorrow’s tyrant, which is classic in storytelling.'”
While Miller’s mind may one day turn to the future, he has no intention of delving any further into Furiosa’s childhood in the thriving Green Place, noting that Furiosa and Fury Road together tell one epic story. “I’m very lucky to say that the two films kind of joined together,” Miller adds. “You can almost play them as a long, extended movie. I’m not interested in Furiosa from when she’s playing in the Green Place from the age zero to 10 [laughs]. Collecting peaches, and swimming, and learning to climb, and figuring out what a motorbike is even though there’s no gasoline, and so on.”
In Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the future-Imperator’s life is irreparably undone when she is abducted by the psychotic leader of the Biker Horde, Dementus (Chris Hemsworth). Caught in the middle as rival Warlords go to battle, Furiosa embarks on a truly roaring rampage of revenge across the Wasteland.
As the visionary director ponders Furiosa’s path after her triumphant return to the Citadel, he poses intriguing questions about the potential pitfalls that await even the mightiest of revolutionaries. Will Furiosa succumb to the temptations of power, or will she forge a new path, redefining the very notion of leadership in the Wasteland?
With Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga set to hit theaters on May 24th, audiences worldwide will soon witness the next chapter in the iconic Wasteland Warrior’s journey. And as Miller’s musings suggest, there may be more roads yet to travel for this unforgettable character, leaving fans to speculate on the twists and turns that lie ahead.
