Summary
AfterFuriosa: A Mad Max Saga, theMad Maxfranchise can progress in several different directions, depending on George Miller’s creative vision. Serving as the fourth installment in theMad Maxfranchise,Mad Max: Fury Roadpremiered three decades afterMad Max Beyond Thunderdomeand kickstarted a new era for the George Miller series by garnering almost unanimously positive reviews from viewers and critics. The film even went on to land ten nominations at the 88th Academy Awards, further cementing its legacy as one of the best action movies ever made.
A decade afterMad Max: Fury Road’s release, the action franchise returned to the big screens with aprequel/spin-off,Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Like its predecessor,Furiosa: A Mad Max Sagaalso impressed most viewers and critics, paving the way for more installments in the franchise. Although no official confirmations surrounding theMad Maxmovie series' future have been made, George Miller has hinted at how he wishes to put the pedal to the metal and throttle the franchise’s post-apocalyptic drama in a new direction.
Furiosa’s Mad Max Cameo Explained
Mad Max has an interesting cameo in Furiosa, raising questions not only about who plays him but also about his future in the George Miller franchise.
Soon afterMad Max: Fury Road’s premiere, George Miller confirmed he had prepared the screenplay for a sequel titledMad Max: The Wasteland. The movie was supposed to be a direct continuation ofMad Max: Fury Road, marking Tom Hardy’s return as Max Rockatansky. However, the director later shifted his focus towardsThree Thousand Years of Longingand only returned to theMad Maxfranchise to create aFury Roadprequel,Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.
When asked about Mad Max: The Wasteland in 2022 (viaVariety),George Miller revealed that “it’s still not fully evolved.“His statement surrounding the movie’s development suggests that even though he has a rough idea about what he wants to portray in it, there are aspects of its story that need more refinement before being wholly materialized into a film. WhileMad Max: The Wastelandmight still be on the horizon, the lack of updates surrounding its potential development suggests that, afterFuriosa, the franchise could continue in other possible ways.
While penning the fourth film in the series,George Miller and his co-writer, Nico Lathouris, wrote a novella covering Max Rochatansky’s time in the desert one year before the events ofMad Max: Fury Road. Since the novella pans out everything that happened to the character before he turned into the calloused, stoic Max audiences saw inMad Max: Fury Road, George Miller hopes to explore it with another prequel movie, which could serve as the next installment in theMad Maxfranchise. Given howFuriosa: A Mad Max Sagais also a prequel toFury Road, it would be strange if Miller followed it up with another prequel.
Given how George Miller even has the backstory for the Doof Warrior in mind, it would not be surprising if he has a similarly detailed narrative for War Boy Nux’s past.
However, given how George Miller effectively added multiple new layers to the franchise’s overarching storyline by walking through Furiosa’s backstory, it is hard not to have faith in his vision.Furiosa: A Mad Max Sagaalso has a post-credits scenefeaturing the bird bobblehead that rests in Nux’s (Nicholas Hoult’s character) car before he wrecks it in the storm. Since Nux dies inMad Max: Fury Road, this post-credits scene could be a hint that a prequel show or movie could walk through his backstory. Given how George Miller even has the backstory for the Doof Warrior in mind, it would not be surprising if he has a similarly detailed narrative for War Boy Nux.
The World Of Furiosa & Mad Max Fury Road Explained
Filmmaker George Miller is perhaps best known for being the visionary behind the Mad Max universe and lore, which includes both Fury Road and Furiosa.
In an interview (viaDigital Spy), George Miller revealed he has already thought about what happens after “Furiosa ascends to the top of the Citadel.” However, he still has not mapped these narratives and believes the franchise has many more stories to tell. Opening up about his future plans, he said that ifFuriosadoes well, he would move forward with his ideas for the franchise. In another interview (viaTIME), Miller confirmed thatanotherMad Max: Fury Roadprequel, titledThe Wasteland, could see the light of day ifFuriosa"gets traction.”
Mid 1980s
Late 1980s
Early 2000s
Somewhere around 2050
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)
Somewhere around 2030
He also added that Tom Hardy could be a part of the film “if the planets align.” Given howMad Max: The Wastelandwas previously touted as aFury Roadsequel, it seems like its title has now been assigned to the potential prequel that follows Max’s journey a year prior toFury Road. As George Miller’s ideas and plans suggest, there are many directions in which theMad Maxfranchise can progress. However, the franchise’s future is starting to look bleak because ofFuriosa’s underwhelming box office.
Even thoughFuriosa: A Mad Max Sagahas landed in critics' good books and holds a Rotten Tomatoes score of 90%, the film has not been able to leave its mark at the box office. In its opening four-day Memorial Day weekend, the movie only raked in $32 million domestically, while earning $36.5 million overseas. Estimates (viaThe Hollywood Reporter) suggest that the film might even struggle to cross $90 million domestically, which spells trouble for theMad Maxfranchise’s future.
As a rule of thumb, a Hollywood film must earn 2.5 times more than its production budget to be considered profitable. Owing to this,with a budget of $168 million,Furiosa: A Mad Max Sagawill have to gross around $420 millionat the global box office. Considering howMad Max: Fury Roadperformed better thanFuriosain its opening weekend by earning $45.3 million and still only reached $379.4 million worldwide after its theatrical run,Furiosafaces an uphill battle to achieve profitability. This significantly reduces the odds of theMad Maxfranchise returning with more sequels, prequels, or spin-offs.
Mad Max
Mad Max is an Australian post-apocalyptic franchise created by George Miller and Byron Kennedy. The first three films star Mel Gibson as Max Rockatansky, a former police officer who seeks revenge after his family is murdered. Tom Hardy took over the role for 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, which was followed by Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga starring Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa.
