The next Mad Max movie won't have Mad Max at all. George Miller's next film will center around Furiosa's backstory, starring an actress who is younger than Charlize Theron.
Speaking to the New York Times, Miller confirmed that he has begun the casting process to find a younger actress to play Furiosa, working from a script that he’s had written since the production of Mad Max: Fury Road. He wrote the script so that Theron and the other characters would have knowledge of their backstories.
“It was purely a way of helping Charlize and explaining it to ourselves,” Miller said.
Miller had hoped that he’d be able to get Theron to reprise the role, using de-aging technology that has become prevalent in Hollywood, but in the end, he decided against it.
A prequel will probably mean that whoever plays Furiosa may be able to retain both arms for the film. Read more about the plans for Miller's next apocalyptic film at io9.