Chris Hemsworth Turns Villain in Mad Max Spin-off Prequel Furiosa

Only 78-years-young and George Miller is edging closer to releasing the fifth film in the Aussie’s very own Mad Max series – all of which he’s directed and written. Arguably, his last outing was his best, dazzling audiences and critics with an all-out action romp in Mad Max: Fury Road. Fans and the director had to wait 30 years between outings for Fury Road, but in 2024, we’ll return to the wastelands for the spin-off prequel Furiosa. This blockbuster is set to feature action star Chris Hemsworth as a warlord villain.

Why return to the realms of Mad Max?

Mad Max boasts a tremendous legacy overall, from its first $200,000 outing in 1980 turning in $100 million, to the sheer popularity of Fury Road. Aside from the blockbuster’s profitability, the franchise has found success in other realms, too. For example, when the 2015 flick was released, console/PC gaming developers took Max Max and ran with it, offering up the Max Max game for PC, PS4, and Xbox players back in 2015.

In addition, online casino developers have also capitalized on the Mad Max brand. For instance, at 888casino, one of the platforms where you can get online casino free play, there’s not one but two official Fury Road games. After landing the no-deposit offer, players can spin Mad Max Fury Road and Fury Road Megaways.

On top of these slots, Fury Road enjoyed a successful DC comic book line as a prelude and the Mad Max video game tie-in was praised for its vehicle combat and world design. Most tellingly, Fury Road made $366 million worldwide on a $150 million budget – by far the most of any Mad Max movie, not adjusted for inflation – and boasts the highest critical review score on Metacritic by 12.2 points – holding a score of 90/100.

It may have taken many, many years for Miller to finally be given the green light to make the film, but the end product of Fury Road was a rousing success in every regard. Next is Furiosa, which also experienced a bit of a delay as Miller had a bit of a contract dispute with the studio, but is set for a 2024 release.

From road movie to epic for Furiosa

Knowing George Miller, Furiosa is going to have some of the most intense, adrenaline-pumping, and stunning action sequences of 2024. It won’t be as non-stop as Fury Road, instead going from a road movie to an epic, as star Anya Taylor-Joy puts it, but a Mad Max film simply won’t go a full feature without some heavy-hitting action. Set to trigger the action sequences is Chris Hemsworth, who’ll be putting in a shift as the villain.

The plot and even Hemsworth’s specific character are being kept close to the chest, but the Aussie actor has been filled with praise for the movie already. He’ll be one of the two warlords battling for dominance. So, he could be Warlord Dementus, who Furiosa is thrown to initially, or The Immortan Joe – who was the masked main antagonist of Fury Road, played by Hugh Keays-Byrne.

Hemsworth says that playing his villain role in Furiosa was “one of the best experiences I’ve had,” crediting Miller for his knowledge and desire to collaborate. Joining Hemsworth and Taylor-Joy will be Tom Burke (The Musketeers), Nathan Jones (Rictus Erectus in Fury Road), Angus Sampson (The Organic Mechanic in Fury Road), Daniel Webber (Escape from Pretoria), and Lachy Hulme (Three Thousand Years of Longing).

Furiosa is penciled in for May 24, 2024, and might well be one of the biggest films of the year.