Charlize Theron on Being Replaced in George Miller's FURIOSA Prequel
There’s been a lot of hype building for George Miller’s upcoming Mad Max prequel film that will focus on the character Furiosa. The filmmaker has confirmed this will be his next movie and that he will be replacing Charlize Theron with a younger actress to play a younger version of the character.
Theron opened up about this for the first time recently during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. During the interview, Theron revealed that she’s disappointed by the fact the new film will see her recast with an actress in her 20s and said that it’s “a tough one to swallow.” She went on to say:
“Listen, I fully respect George, if not more so in the aftermath of making that film with him. He’s a master, and I wish him nothing but the best. Yeah, it’s a little heartbreaking, for sure. I really love that character, and I’m so grateful that I had a small part in creating her. She will forever be someone I think of and reflect on fondly. Obviously, I would love to see that story continue, and if he feels like he has to go about it this way, then I trust him in that manner. We get so hung up on the smaller details that we forget the thing that we emotionally tap into has nothing to do with that minute thing that we’re focusing on.”
I know that it sucks for her, but it sounds like she understands. Both Jodie Comer (The Killing) and Anya Taylor-Joy (The New Mutants, Glass) have been rumored to be up for the role of Furiosa.
Miller originally hoped to bring Theron back to reprise the role by using de-aging technology that has become prevalent in Hollywood, but in the end, he decided against it because he doesn’t feel the technology is there yet to do it properly.
When previously talking about Furiosa, Miller hinted that the backstory is one he would like to explore:
"Yeah, she’s a pretty compelling character so it would be great to tell her story. Her backstory is really interesting. We only allude to it in this movie because this movie is on the run; people don’t have much time for recreational talk. But you pick up, you have a sense of her having gone through stuff. That’s what the film is trying to do. You’re trying to put a lot of iceberg under the tip, I like saying. One of the things that’s really gratifying, people are reading the film more than just the surface — the events of the movie, and just picking up a lot of stuff underneath it, which is very deliberate......So in many ways, the audience is picking up a lot about Furiosa — or enough to intrigue. And she’s got an interesting story."
Miller is expected to start production on the film as soon as he's done filming his current project, Three Thousand Years of Longing. He hopes that will be in 2021.