Nine years after Mad Max: Fury Road debuted in the south of France, George Miller is once again the toast of the Croisette. Audiences at the world premiere of the director’s “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” were blown away by his latest high-octane action thriller, showering the film with a six-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday night.
Taylor-Joy blew kisses at the camera as the applause continued over the end credits, and performed a theatrical bow. Hemsworth appeared teary-eyed at the enthusiastic response.
“We worked very hard on this movie, and it will be very exciting to see what you make of it,” Miller said briefly after the standing ovation. “Thank you for having us.”
Fury Road was known for its constant fight between Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy, but Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth showed they were more relaxed as they arrived early to the premiere. They both worked with the crowds outside the palace, signing dozens of autographs and taking selfies with fans.
Taylor-Joy continued to stick her tongue out at the cameras, while Hemsworth looked in great spirits in a smart white tuxedo jacket that flouted Cannes’ strict dress code (he left his tie on in Australia).
The praise for “Furiosa” started early, as it did at Cannes Miller and his crew were showered with a standing ovation Even before the movie starts. The prequel to “Fury Road” was one of the most anticipated premieres at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The fifth installment in the Mad Max franchise opens in theaters on May 24 in the US from Warner Bros., which hopes the film will match (or exceed) Fury Road’s $380 global box office. With a budget of $168 million, “Furiosa” will need to do big business to turn a profit.
Furiosa is set in a post-apocalyptic world 15 to 20 years before the events of Fury Road, with Taylor-Joy replacing Charlize Theron in the role of the young Empress Furiosa. When she was a young girl, Furiosa was kidnapped and imprisoned by a group of bandits known as the Biker Horde, led by the warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth).
In addition to Taylor-Joy and Hemsworth, the film also stars Alila Brown, Tom Burke, Laci Hulme, Joran de Kliot, Nathan Jones, Josh Helman, John Howard, Angus Sampson, Charlie Fraser, Quaden Bayles and.
Daniel Weber.
Miller, of course, created the Mad Max franchise, and has directed all five films dating back to 1979. He was most recently at Cannes in 2022 with Three Thousand Years of Longing, starring Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton. He also served as president of the festival’s jury in 2016.
Taylor-Joy previously received the Chopard Award for Emerging Actors at the Cannes Film Festival in 2017. In her most recent work, diverse COVER STORY Taylor-Joy said of “Furiosa”: “This is the wasteland, and any outburst of emotion is punishable by death. Any compassion is punishable by death, any kindness, really. It all made sense to me. I think the restrictions George placed on me radiated out of character, because they are constantly repressed throughout the film.
“Lifelong beer expert. General travel enthusiast. Social media buff. Zombie maven. Communicator.”