Entertainment

Will There Be A 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Sequel?

by Mary Grace Garis

Two years ago nobody could've guessed the long-time-coming fourth installment to the Mad Max franchise would've exploded into pop culture the way that it did, but the film brought in two important Fs: feminism and Furiosa. Yes, the success of the totally feminist Mad Max: Fury Road can be credited in part to Charlize Theron's Imperator Furiosa, the valiant badass and veritable heroine of the film — in short, she runs things while Max hangs back as a side-kick. And with that success, the question on everyone's minds is, will there be a Mad Max: Fury Road sequel? Because this is really important to keep tabs on just in case you didn't nail the robot arm on your Furiosa costume this Halloween and want another crack at it.

Well, initially director George Miller stated he's already started penning the Fury Road sequel. The bad news is that you may have to wait a while for it. "I'm not sure if it's the very next movie I want to do," Miller told Entertainment Weekly back in January. I've got something a bit smaller before we go back out into the wasteland — something that's contemporary that we can get through fairly quickly." Even though Miller isn't rushing to do another Mad Max as his next film, the upswing is that the next one (or the one to follow) could focus on Furiosa's backstory. "She's a pretty compelling character so it would be great to tell her story," Miller teased.

But you couldn't have Furiosa without the always powerful Theron behind her, can you? Luckily, we probably won't be forced to confront this question: In an interview with MTV in April, Theron confirmed that she would return for a Fury Road sequel if given the opportunity. "I would love to bring her back to life! Are you kidding?" Theron said. "I can see how people are kind of responding to her. I look at my little girl and I’m like, ’yeah, I’d love to play this woman again.'" Clearly it's imperative that we bring our girl to the next generation of Mad Max fans... although depending on how long Miller wants to wait, it could be, in earnest, the next generation.

Regardless, there's a real possibility that Miller and Theron will usher in another great chapter to the Mad Max saga, one that doesn't neglect the issues of women in a visually-arresting apocalyptic continent. And, you know, a chapter that's really anchored by a female character that young ladies can look up to. Just hold on tight, because even if the wait for a Fury Road follow-up is slow, it'll likely totally worth it.

Images: Warner Bros. Pictures; Giphy