Desert Power is set to return to screens, albeit not in the way fans might expect. Warner Bros. has recently unveiled the second trailer for the high-octane action and dystopian film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.
This latest foray into George Miller’s post-apocalyptic universe propels us back to a time before the dust settled on Charlize Theron’s portrayal of the indomitable Imperator Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road.
The mantle has now been passed to Anya Taylor-Joy, who, with a vengeful gleam in her eye and the iconic Furiosa robotic arm strapped tightly, promises a journey back to the Green Place of Many Mothers that is as violent as it is entertaining.
The trailer opens with Furiosa’s origins, quickly setting up a story of abduction, loss, and an unyielding quest for retribution against Chris Hemsworth’s Warlord Dementus, a name that just goes way too hard (in a good way).
“Where are you going, so full of hope? There is no hope!” Hemsworth’s Dementus taunts, personifying the despair and brutality of the Wasteland. Yet, it’s this very hopelessness that Furiosa will challenge in a fight to restore what was ripped from her: her childhood, her mother, her very identity.
In the moment Taylor-Joy’s Furiosa cuts her hair in a symbolic shearing of her past and dons her mechanical limb, we receive a clear message: she is now stepping into the boots of a warrior reborn. As much as one might avoid getting their hopes up, the latest trailer for the upcoming prequel makes this very difficult to do.
George Miller, the phenomenal filmmaker behind this desolate yet strangely beautiful world, returns to helm the project with a script co-penned by Nico Lathouris (who also worked on Mad Max: Fury Road). It’s a reunion of sorts, with several Fury Road alumni, from editor Margaret Sixel to costume designer Jenny Beavan and composer Junkie XL, joining the band.
Unfortunately, award-winning Australian cinematographer John Seale will not be lending his talents to the prequel. In his place, Simon Duggan will step in as the director of photography, with high hopes to emulate the Wasteland’s stark brutality and unexpected beauty that Seale perfectly captured.
Familiar faces from the Mad Max universe will also return, including Nathan Jones as Rictus Erectus, John Howard as The People Eater, and Angus Sampson as The Organic Mechanic. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is set to race into cinemas on May 24, with an IMAX release confirmed.
