The latest instalment of one of the world’s favourite action film series will be shot in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW).
Furiosa, to star Hollywood A-listers Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hardy and Anya Taylor-Joy, will be the fifth release in the Mad Max franchise. It will be written and directed by George Miller, 76, who has masterminded the movies from the beginning.
The director said he was excited by the role an Australian film boom was playing in the nation’s recovery from the pandemic.
Australia is keen to encourage filmmakers and Miller acknowledges his latest film will receive financial support from the federal and NSW governments.
The filming of Furiosa is also being heralded as a multi-million dollar windfall for the NSW economy and a major coup for the nation’s film industry.
Announcing the project’s go-ahead on Monday, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian tweeted: “Great news the Mad Max prequel – Furiosa starring Chris Hemsworth – is being filmed right here in NSW. The biggest ever film to be made in Australia, supporting more than 850 local jobs and bringing in 350 million Australian dollars (about 272 million U.S. dollars) to the economy.”
Filming is due to begin this year with the release date set for June 2023.
Since the release of the original Mad Max in 1979, the franchise, set in a stark post-apocalyptic world, has earned several billion dollars worldwide.
The films have also been critically acclaimed. The most recent release, Mad Max: Fury Road, went on to win six Oscars at the 2016 Academy Awards.
