Furiosa Reveals Release Target And It’s A Very Good Sign
Director George Miller is reportedly eyeing a Cannes Film Festival premiere for his post-apocalyptic action film Furiosa. The move isn’t surprising since its predecessor, Mad Max: Fury Road, became a cinematic sensation following its 2015 debut at Cannes, grossing $374 million worldwide and earning 10 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director.
While insiders believe that Warner Bros. is seriously considering a world premiere at the prestigious festival, the studio said these plans were purely a rumor. The premiere for Furiosa depends on organizing the actors’ schedules, which can’t happen while the SAG-AFTRA strike is ongoing, Variety reports.
George Miller is reportedly debuting Furiosa at Cannes, nine years after doing the same with Mad Max: Fury Road.
However, Cannes Film Festival Chief Thierry Fremaux is still optimistic. “We kept an extraordinary memory of the world premiere of Fury Road at Cannes,” he said. “It would be wonderful to welcome them again with Furiosa, especially since George Miller was a marvelous jury president in 2016. I know he’s working on the film, and I hope it will be at Cannes.”
Furiosa is set in the same dystopian world as the previous Mad Max films. Serving as a prequel, it explores the backstory of the Imperator Furiosa, originally portrayed by Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road. The film delves into her origins, shedding light on her past and the events that shaped her into the fearless warrior viewers met in the previous installment.
Directed by Miller from a screenplay he co-wrote with Nico Lathouris, Furiosa is the fifth overall installment of the Mad Max franchise. Joining Taylor-Joy in the cast is Chris Hemsworth, who takes on the villain role. Tom Burke, Nathan Jones, Angus Sampson, and Quaden Bayles also appear in supporting roles. The movie is set for release on May 24, 2024.
“We kept an extraordinary memory of the world premiere of Fury Road at Cannes. It would be wonderful to welcome them again with Furiosa, especially since George Miller was a marvelous jury president in 2016.”
Cannes Film Festival Chief Thierry Fremaux
While George Miller earned positive reviews at Cannes in 2022 for his film Three Thousand Years of Longing, it’s fair to say that the unanimous acclaim that Fury Road received in 2015 was a tough act to follow. Many festival-goers believe that if the movie had competed at Cannes, it would have been a strong contender for the prestigious Palme d’Or. As such, there are high hopes for Furiosa.
Mad Max: Fury Road follows Max (Tom Hardy) as he’s captured by a tyrannical warlord, Immortan Joe, and subsequently teams up with Furiosa (Charlize Theron), who is leading a group of female prisoners to escape Joe’s oppressive rule. Along with critical acclaim, the film earned approximately $374 million at the global box office.
Mad Max: Fury Road is a tough act to follow, but Furisoa is being primed for success.
Its success was a testament to the film’s quality and the enduring appeal of the Mad Max franchise. The revived interest in the series led to Furiosa. Mad Max: Fury Road is widely regarded as a landmark in action cinema, celebrated for its relentless energy, practical effects, and feminist themes, making it a standout entry in the series.
Meanwhile, Warner Bros.’ recent history at Cannes has been noteworthy, with the world premiere of Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis taking place in 2022. This suggests that the studio sees Cannes as a vital platform for blockbuster releases, further fueling speculation about Furiosa.
Furiosa has all the ingredients to be another Cannes success, adding to the rich legacy of the Mad Max universe on the world stage. If the SAG-AFTRA strike is resolved soon, it will be interesting to see if the film lives up to the hype.
