George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road was many things; a post-apocalyptic action movie, an instant cult classic, a critical darling, an awards season favorite, and one of the best genre films to come out of Hollywood during the 21st Century, but it always remained a chase film first and foremost.
It’s a basic setup that’s served the franchise very well since Mel Gibson first donned Max Rockatansky’s leather jacket in the 1979 original, but upcoming prequel Furiosa doesn’t sound as though it’ll be heading down the same route, as revealed by assistant director and producer P. J. Voeten via SlashFilm.
Instead, the fifth installment in the high-octane series will follow a more conventional narrative structure, while still delivering all of the expertly-choreographed vehicular mayhem fans have come to expect.
“Furiosa is more of a traditional three-act drama. If people are expecting to see another chase movie, it’s not going to be that. When I started reading [the script], I couldn’t put it down. It is going to be really, really good. You get to see Gas Town. You get to see The Bullet Farm. It’s exciting to be able to build that stuff.”
Production is expected to begin as soon as this month, with star Anya Taylor-Joy already putting her driving skills through their paces ahead of the shoot. Mad Max: Furiosa isn’t coming to theaters until May 2024, so there’s plenty of time for Miller, his cast, and the crew to make sure they can match the widespread critical and commercial adulation of Fury Road.