Posted in: Movies, Warner Bros | Tagged: furiosa, furiosa: a mad max saga, mad max: fury road

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – Honoring The Late, Great Hugh Keays-Byrne

How they are honoring the late Hugh Keays-Byrne, who played Immortan Joe in Mad Max: Fury Road, in the upcoming Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.

There's nothing quite like a memorable villain, and Mad Max: Fury Road had one of those when it came to Immortan Joe. The character had an instantly iconic look, but something about him looked imposing in a way that defied words. Much of that came down to the performance of Hugh Keays-Byrne, who sadly passed away in 2020. Immortan Joe is returning for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and Empire confirmed that Lachy Hulme would be playing the role this time. He is described as "a firm friend of filmmaker George Miller who now pulls double-duty in the prequel." Hulme already had a role in Furiosa, but when he pressed Miller for details about how they would handle the character of Immortan Joe with Keays-Byrne passing, Hulme threw his hat into the ring. "He said, 'I'll probably just get a body double,'" Hulme said. "I said, 'Well, somebody needs to step up for Hugh. Someone needs to honor this great man. I can do it. I can do the voice. And it's all in the eyes."

According to the interview, it didn't become official until they were already in production for Furiosa, which is not usually how these things are done. "He said, 'Do you want to do it?' I said, 'What took you so long? You've finally figured out that this movie ain't gonna make dollar one until you've got double Lachy Hulme in it!'" Even just looking at this interview, it's clear that Hulme greatly respected Keays-Byrne and what he did with this iconic character. It's also excellent to hear that we have someone behind the mask who really cares and not just a body double. There is nothing wrong with different people playing the same role; everyone brings something to the table, and we're so interested to see what Hulme will bring to both of his roles in Furiosa.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga: Summary, Cast List, Release Date

Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth star in Academy Award-winning mastermind George Miller's Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the much-anticipated return to the iconic dystopian world he created more than 30 years ago with the seminal "Mad Max" films. Miller now turns the page again with an all-new original, standalone action adventure that will reveal the origins of the powerhouse character from the multiple Oscar-winning global smash Mad Max: Fury Road. The new feature from Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures is produced by Miller and his longtime partner, Oscar-nominated producer Doug Mitchell (Mad Max: Fury Road, Babe), under their Australian-based Kennedy Miller Mitchell banner.

As the world fell, young Furiosa 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 war for dominance, Furiosa must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way home. Taylor-Joy stars in the title role, and along with Hemsworth, the film also stars Alyla Browne and Tom Burke.

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents, in Association with Village Roadshow Pictures, A Kennedy Miller Mitchell Production, A George Miller Film, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, in theaters only nationwide on May 24, 2024, and internationally beginning on 22 May, 2024.

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