George Miller Calls ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Prequel ‘Furiosa’ “A Saga” That Spans 15 Years

Aussie director George Miller is at the Cannes Film Festival to premiere his romantic fantasy film “Three Thousand Years of Longing” which is led by British actors Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton. Miller was specifically asked about his “Mad Max: Fury Road” prequel “Furiosa” where he gave a little bit of insight into the post-apocalypse action film.

During a chat with Deadline, the filmmaker briefly explained the timespan for “Furiosa” as it takes place over 15 years instead of the three-day gasoline-fueled journey that was done with “Fury Road,” while also calling it “a saga.”

READ MORE: ‘Furiosa’: Production Delays Lead To ‘Mad Max’ Prequel Bumped To A May 2024 Release

“All I can say about my excitement about doing it is that it’s definitely exciting because even though it’s certainly of that world of ‘Fury Road,’ it’s also got a lot of the differences we’ve been talking about. Again, it’s uniquely familiar. And probably the biggest difference is the timespan. ‘Fury Road’ happened over three days and two nights and this one happens over 15 years. So, it’s a saga.,” Miller said of the prequel while keeping mostly tight-lipped concerning details.

As previously reported, the titular role pivots from Oscar-winner Charlize Theron to genre darling Anya Taylor-Joy (“The Northman“) as the film will explore the origins of the character, which explains the time jumps. This likely means we’ll see how Furiosa went from the Green Place to the Citadel, the latter ruled by the brutal wasteland warlord Imorttan Joe played by the late Hugh Keays-Byrne. Also, how the skilled and formidable female warrior lost her arm.

Every “Mad Max” installment hits the reset button so it’ll be different to see how Miller tackles something that has more of a connection to the last film than other movies in the franchises, rather than simply placing Theron’s Furiosa or Tom Hardy‘s Max into a new setting. “Thor: Love & Thunder” actor Chris Hemsworth co-stars in the pic and is said to be playing a villain, which will be another fun element to look forward to.

Warner Bros. had pushed the release date from June 23, 2023, to May 2024 during the Memorial Day weekend due to Australian production delays.

Stay tuned for The Playlist’s Cannes review for “Three Thousand Years of Longing” ahead of its domestic release on August 31 by Amazon Studios.