I’ve been nervous to read any news concerning Warner Bros or HBO Max as of late. Their industry-shattering announcement to shuffle all their 2021 releases to a theatrical/HBO Max combination release has really altered the cinematic landscape, so I was very concerned with some of their bigger franchises, like Mad Max. It looks now like they have officially dated a few films, including the Fury Road prequel, for releases in 2023.
Furiosa is now dated for June 23, 2023. The prequel, which will see George Miller return to the world he helped create way back with the original Mad Max decades ago, is set to star Anya Taylor-Joy as the younger Furiosa, replacing Charlize Theron. Chris Hemsworth and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will also star.
Warner Bros also dated the Looney Tunes-style Coyote vs. Acme for July 21, 2023 and The Color Purple musical for December 20, 2023.
To me, this is a good piece of news, even if I’d rather have a Mad Max sequel instead of a Furiosa prequel. I’m much more invested in Mad Max after 4 films and I just want to see more adventures of his, but any new installment is a good deal overall, especially with George Miller directing. I’ve been a little concerned about George Miller actually returning to this franchise, as he’s getting up in age a bit, and overseeing such a technical and effects-driven film can be rather taxing. He’s also consistently brought up other projects that have interested him, so I’ve wondered when, if ever, he would return to this world.
This news also says that Warner Bros is still interested in the theatrical experience. The quotes all seem to point to a theatrical release, so I’m still holding out hope that this HBO Max/Theatrical plan for Warner Bros is only a 2021 thing.
So what do you think? Are you excited to see this world further expanded with a Furiosa prequel? Do you think it will be released to theaters? Leave a comment below and let me know!
-Kyle A. Goethe
GOAT Film Reviews 
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