Summary
Furiosa: A Mad Max Sagastar Nathan Jones shares a statement reminding people of the movie’s fictitious nature following harassing direct messages. Serving as a prequel to 2015’sMad Max: Fury Road, the latest installment in director George Miller’s apocalyptic franchise chronicles the origins of Charlize Theron’s Furiosa, played this time by Anya Taylor-Joy. TheFuriosa: A Mad Max Sagacastincludes a number of actors from the 2015 film, including Jones as Rictus Erectus, the youngest son of Immortan Joe.
Joneshas now taken to Facebook to share a new message reminding audiences thatFuriosa: A Mad Max Sagais, in fact, a fictional story. The actor claims to have received some private messages from viewers about the film regarding one uncomfortable scene his character has with a young Furiosa. Check out Jones' post below:
“I’ve noticed a few queries and private messages about my role in Mad Max: Furiosa,” Jones writes, “Particularly regarding a scene with young Furiosa. This is a very sensitive subject, and I want to emphasize that it involves a fictional character.” He continues: “The details can be uncomfortable, and as an actor, my job is to portray a character based on the direction and script provided to me. I appreciate your understanding and support in recognizing the distinction between fiction and reality. Thank you.”
Rictus' Uncomfortable Furiosa Scene Explained
George Miller’s Prequel Features One Particularly Disturbing Moment
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Furiosa: A Mad Max SagaUnlikeMad Max: Fury Road,Furiosatakes place over the course of roughly 15 years, charting the title character’s life from when she was a young girl living in the Green Place right up to when she chooses to escape the Citadel with Immortan Joe’s wives. During the first section of the film, Furiosa is played by child actor Alyla Browne. Browne has been praised in theFuriosa: A Mad Max Saga’s reviewsfor her strong portrayal of a young version of the character, but this portrayal includes some intense and mature scenes.
One of these scenes sees Furiosa living in the Citadel as a captive with Joe’s wives. One night,Rictus takes Furiosa from her cell and strokes her hair in a suggestive manner, with the scene having clear sexual undertones. The scene essentially stops there, with Furiosa then putting her plan into motion to escape, but it’s certainly enough to establish Rictus as more than just a violent brute, and it’s definitely one of the more disturbing moments of the entire film.
How Many Wives & Kids Immortan Joe Has In The Mad Max Movies
Immortan Joe was obsessed with having a male heir to his empire, which meant he had an astonishing number of wives and children throughout Mad Max.
Rictus doesn’t end up facing justice for his actions by theend ofFuriosa: A Mad Max Saga, but he does ultimately die during the climax ofMad Max: Fury Road. The structure of Miller’s prequel has allowed the director to delve into more detail regarding the characters and locations of his apocalyptic saga, but, as shown with the Rictus scene, these moments can sometimes be uncomfortable. Despite the disturbing nature of some of theseFuriosa: A Mad Max Sagascenes, it’s still surprising that Jones has had to clarify that they are fictitious.
Miller Has Revealed Plans For Another Film
BeforeFuriosawas released in theaters, Miller revealed at the film’s Cannes premiere (viaTHR) that he already has a story planned out for another movie in theworld ofMad Max. This wouldn’t be the sequel toMad Max: Fury Roadthat was rumored in the years following that film’s release, but it would instead be another prequel. This one, however, would tell the story of what happened to Max in the year before the events ofFury Road, with the timeline potentially allowing Tom Hardy to reprise his role from the 2015 movie.
If theMad Maxfranchise does return in the future, it’s likely that it would be a much smaller-scale project with a smaller budget.
Miller stipulated in his comment, though, that whether the movie happens will depend on howFuriosais received. While the new movie may have earned mostly positive reviews and currently stands as the third-highest rated movie of the franchise on Rotten Tomatoes (see the chart below), it hasn’t been a success at the box office. Made on an estimated budget of $168 million,Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’s box officehas only just crossed $144.4 million worldwide.
90%
70%
94%
86%
79%
49%
97%
Unfortunately, withFuriosalooking like it won’t become profitable during its theatrical run,it seems unlikely that Miller’s vision for a Max prequel will be realized, meaning audiences have probably seen the last of Rictus and Furiosa. The film’s underperformance confirms whatFury Road’s modest performance suggested back in 2015, which is just that the franchise has limited mass appeal. If theMad Maxfranchise does return in the future, it’s likely that it would be a much smaller-scale project with a smaller budget.
The First Movie Was Very Low Budget
WhileFuriosa’s poor performance has probably put the brakes on any plans for future franchise expansion, the IP’s best path forward at this point would be a stripped back story akin to 1979’sMad Maxor 1981’sMad Max 2: The Road Warrior. The first film was made on a budget of about $350,000 (not adjusted for inflation), proving thatMiller is certainly capable of telling a captivating tale on a smaller scale. This would mean, unfortunately, that the big action set pieces ofFury RoadandFuriosajust wouldn’t be possible.
While it would certainly be a loss to not have the grand action spectacle of the last two installments, it would still be interesting to follow Hardy’s Max or Theron’s Furiosa in a story that plays out more like a contained thriller. From what Miller has revealed publicly, however, there are no story ideas in place for a smaller-scaleMad Maxmovie. Unfortunately, it seems likeFuriosa: A Mad Max Sagawill be the last journey to the Wasteland for the foreseeable future.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Cast
A prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa is an action-adventure film that tells the origin story of the headstrong and fearless Furiosa. Set shortly after the beginning of the “end of the world,” Furiosa is kidnapped and brought before a powerful warlord, now forced to work for him. To find her way back home, Furiosa will adapt to the new harsh and arid world as she grows into the Furiosa she becomes known to be.
