George Miller’s Furiosa: Mad Max Saga will follow in the footsteps of its predecessor Mad Max: Fury Road in premiering at Cannes.
The NSW-shot prequel, which stars Anya Taylor-Joy as the titular character and Chris Hemsworth as the warlord Dementus, will be the subject of an out-of-competition gala screening at the Grand Théâtre Lumière at the Palais des Festivals on Wednesday, May 15.
Spanning over two decades, the origin story follows young Furiosa as she is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falls into the hands of a great Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus.
Sweeping through the Wasteland, they come across the Citadel presided over by The Immortan Joe. While the two Tyrants battle for dominance, Furiosa must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way home.
Miller, who penned the script with Mad Max: Fury Road co-writer Nico Lathouris, produced Furiosa under their banner Kennedy Miller Mitchell for Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures.
The director, who will attend the screening alongside Taylor-Joy, Hemsworth, and English actor and cast member Tom Burke, said there was “no better place than La Croisette to experience this film with audiences on the world stage”.
“The idea of this prequel has been with me for over a decade,” Miller said.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled to return to the Festival de Cannes – along with Anya, Chris and Tom – to share Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.“
Miller was twice a Festival de Cannes Jury member before becoming its President in 2016 for the 69th edition.
In 2022, he presented Three Thousand Years of Longing, starring Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba, out of competition.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga will land in Australian cinemas on May 23 via Warner Bros. Pictures.
The 77th Festival de Cannes will be held from May 14 to 25, 2024.