Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is (as its title suggests) primarily focused on the exploits of young Imperator Furiosa – but what about Mad Max himself? Is Max Rockatansky in Furiosa?
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Is Max Rockatansky in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga?
Yes – but only very briefly. A recent Entertainment Weekly cover story confirmed that Max Rockatansky and his iconic V8 Interceptor muscle car make a “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” cameo in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Whether we’ll actually see Max’s face during this scene is unclear for now, however, Mad Max: Fury Road star Tom Hardy isn’t officially onboard to reprise the role. Mad Max franchise co-creator and Furiosa co-writer/director George Miller touched on Max’s cameo in the EW story, hinting that it may set up another Fury Road prequel.
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“In doing what we did in the preparation of Mad Max: Fury Road, we also wrote what happened to Max in the year before we encounter him in [that film],” Miller said. “And as we get towards the end of this movie, the chronology… Basically, we had to see that Mad Max was lurking around somewhere because we do know what happened. The writers know what happened to Mad Max in that year before, and we have a whole story of that, which I would like to do sometime if I get the chance.”
Is Another Mad Max: Fury Road Prequel Happening?
Not officially, which is why Miller stopped short of outright promising that Max Rockatansky’s Furiosa cameo will pay off further down the line. That said, Miller’s remarks make it clear he already has Max’s post-Furiosa, pre-Fury Road journey mapped out, so it’ll be pedal-to-the-metal on the as-yet-untitled prequel if Warner Bros. Pictures ever green lights it. But how this would fit with Miller’s previously mentioned plans for two Fury Road sequels is a mystery at this stage.
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The Aussie director has discussed his Fury Road follow-ups in several interviews in the years since that film’s 2015 release, confirming the scripts for both are already finished. According to Miller, the first of these scripts carries the working title “Mad Max: The Wasteland.” The second script’s working title is unknown. Whether either project is actually the Max-centric Fury Road prequel seeded in Furiosa is similarly up in the air.
Then there’s the matter of Hardy’s involvement. The English actor publicly admitted he didn’t enjoy the Mad Max: Fury Road shoot, however, he subsequently embraced the movie and its director. As such, Hardy may be willing to jump behind the wheel of Max Rockatansky’s whip again, in the event The Wasteland and its untitled sequel move forward.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga roars into cinemas on May 24, 2024.
