Here's why Mad Max is in 'Furiosa' — but Tom Hardy isn't
"Furiosa: A Mad Max" saga introduces Anya Taylor-Joy as a young version of Imperator Furiosa.
The character was played by Charlize Theron in "Mad Max: Fury Road."
Max appears for a moment: played by Jacob Tomuri, who was Tom Hardy's double.
Warning, spoilers ahead for "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga."
"Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" stars Anya Taylor-Joy as a young Imperator Furiosa, the warrior who was originally played by Charlize Theron in 2015's "Mad Max: Fury Road" opposite Tom Hardy as Max Rockatansky.
Director George Miller uses the prequel to explore Furiosa's backstory before "Fury Road." It starts when a group of raiders kidnaps her from an oasis-like land called the Green Place. The rest of the film is about her attempts to find her way home and get revenge on the warlord, Dementus (Chris Hemsworth), for murdering her mother.
The postapocalyptic genre is shaping up to be a major trend in film and TV in 2024. "Furiosa" stands next to other major projects including "Fallout," "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes," "Civil War," and "Boy Kills World," which were all released within the first few months of the year.
Because "Furiosa" exists in the "Mad Max" franchise and takes place shortly before "Fury Road," some fans might wonder whether Hardy reprises his role as Max. Here's what to know.
Max is in "Furiosa," but Tom Hardy isn't.
In the back half of the prequel, Furiosa escapes from Dementus by cutting her own arm off while he tortures her love interest, Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke). As she stumbles away into the wasteland toward the citadel ruled by Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme), a stranger in a familiar leather jacket watches on from a distant cliff.
Yes, Max is the one watching Furiosa, although he's completely unaware of who she is at the time. Although he has his back to the audience, it's clearly meant to be Hardy's version of Max thanks to his outfit and the modified V8 Interceptor car that he has.
It's a very similar shot to the opening moments of "Fury Road," which can be seen above, where Max contemplates his life in the wasteland.
However, Miller revealed to Screen Rant in early May that it's not Hardy playing Max in "Furiosa."
"It was Jacob Tomuri, who was Tom Hardy's double. He also did some other stunts," the director explained. "He's a New Zealand stuntman, and he was doing some other stunts on the film, and I thought, 'Who better?'"
Hardy told Collider in 2017 that he's still interested in reprising the role in Miller's planned "Fury Road" sequel, "Mad Max: The Wasteland."
"I'm really just waiting for the call like, 'All right, let's get the leathers on and get back out there and do some more,'" he said. "It's there. I'm just waiting for it and looking forward to it."
But it's unclear why he didn't return for the blink-and-you'll-miss it "Furiosa" cameo.
Read the original article on Business Insider
