Warner Bros offer first glimpse at Anya Taylor-Joy in Mad Max prequel

Anya Taylor-Joy stars alongside Chris Hemsworth in the first look of the much-anticipated Mad Max prequel.

The film, titled Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, will see Taylor-Joy in the title role exploring the backstory of a character previously played by Oscar-winner Charlize Theron in the acclaimed 2015 blockbuster Mad Max: Fury Road.

Academy Award-winner George Miller’s eagerly-awaited follow-up tells the story of a young Furiosa (Taylor-Joy) who has been kidnapped from the Green Place of Many Mothers by the warlord Dementus – played by Hemsworth.

The teaser released on Thursday, which features exhaustive action scenes with explosions and frenzied driving, sees the pair racing through the wasteland where “they come across the Citadel presided over by The Immortan Joe”.

“While the two Tyrants war for dominance, Furiosa must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way home,” Warner Bros said.

The film will be released on May 24 2024, having originally been set for June 2023.

Mad Max: Fury Road also had a famously turbulent production, but went on to score 10 Oscar nominations, including for best picture and best director – winning six in total.

Australian filmmaker Miller previously said he had considered recasting 48-year-old Theron as Furiosa, using de-aging technology to allow her to explore the character’s origins.

However, he settled on The Queen’s Gambit star Taylor-Joy, who is known for film roles including horror movie’s The Menu and Split, as well as appearing in an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma.

Australian star Hemsworth, known for playing Thor in the Marvel films, previously said he was “damn fired up” to be cast in the franchise he had “grown up watching”.

The film will also star Alyla Browne and Tom Burke, Warner Bros said.