Tom Hardy has suggested George Miller's Mad Max: The Wasteland is not happening, quashing hopes of a second Fury Road prequel after Furiosa.
The actor, who played Max Rockatansky in Mad Max: Fury Road, offered Forbes an update on the rumored prequel movie, which would take place after Furiosa but one year before Fury Road with Hardy back in the lead role. "I don't think that's happening," he said, signalling that a return to the wasteland is not on the horizon.
Fury Road hit theaters in 2015 and followed Max (Tom Hardy) as he joined forces with Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) against the tyrannical Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) and his army, leading to a deadly high-speed jaunt across the wasteland — which made it onto IGN's list of best ever on-screen car chases.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga jumps back 15 years earlier to tell the origin story of the titular renegade warrior before she joined forces with Mad Max, including the numerous trials she faced after being snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falling into the hands of Chris Hemsworth's cape-wearing warlord.
Miller revealed in May that he had a "whole story" planned for a Furiosa follow-up, which he has been toying with for years, but it seems like that won't be moving forward anytime soon. Perhaps unsurprising after Furiosa had the worst Memorial Day box office opening in 30 years, bowing to a disappointing $32 million in the U.S.
Box Office Mojo confirms that Furiosa, which arrived in theaters in May, has so far grossed $160 million at the worldwide box office against a budget of $168 million. The film has, however, received positive reviews and currently has a 90% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. IGN also gave the movie a rare 10/10 rating.
Our review praised Furiosa for weaving "a hero's journey of epic proportions, ushering in a powerful reflection on what it means to live and love in a dying world."
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on X/Twitter here.
