After Furiosa, I No Longer Think Mad Max 5 Should Happen

Furiosa was a great addition to the Mad Max franchise, but I believe it may have proved that Mad Max 5 should not happen. Furiosa‘s cast of characters told a prequel story to 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, centering around the titular character before she became Immortan Joe’s Imperator. By the time of Furiosa‘s explosive ending, the film served as a perfect way to bridge the gap between the original trilogy and Mad Max: Fury Road, further fleshing out the fascinating world created by George Miller and the characters who inhabit it.

I admit that the timeline of the Mad Max movies is overly confusing, yet this did not take away from the strengths of Furiosa. The installment was a fantastic, more character-driven ride through The Wasteland, and naturally led many – myself included – to wonder what the status of upcoming Mad Max movies was, notably Mad Max 5. However, despite my curiosity over the sequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa may have proven to me that another entry into the franchise is not necessary.

Furiosa Was Great, But Couldn’t Live Up To Mad Max: Fury Road

Mad Max 5 Would Face A Similar Obstacle

The first element of Furiosa that made me ponder whether Mad Max 5 should happen was how it compared to Mad Max: Fury Road. While comparison between the two is likely unwise given the distinction between both films, Furiosa‘s status as a prequel made it overly difficult not to hold it up against its chronological successor. This is not to say that it was a bad movie, as evident by Furiosa‘s glowing reviews and its status as one of my personal favorites of 2024. That said, I still do not think it was as good as Mad Max: Fury Road.

Admittedly, it is difficult to outline exactly why I preferred Mad Max: Fury Road over Furiosa. Perhaps it was the former’s quicker pace, which relied little on slower character drama and propelled its main ensemble through their arcs with repeated breakneck action scenes. Maybe it was my relative freshness with the Mad Max franchise in 2015 that made me prefer it over the now-familiar world of Furiosa. Regardless of my reasoning, Furiosa did not quite live up to the standards set by its predecessor, something I believe would also be true for Mad Max 5.

Mad Max 5 Would Likely Face A Massive Obstacle Recasting Max

Tom Hardy’s Return Would Be Unlikely

One of the best decisions made by Mad Max: Fury Road ended up being the recasting of the titular character. After being portrayed by Mel Gibson in the original three movies, Tom Hardy stepped into the role and solidified his status as a household name in Hollywood. Regardless of Hardy’s excellent performance, the character of Max Rockatansky would likely be recast once more should Mad Max 5 be made. The reasons for this are plenty, stemming from scheduling issues, Miller’s own views of the character, and the troubled production of Mad Max: Fury Road.

At the center of Mad Max: Fury Road was a feud, primarily between lead actors Hardy and Charlize Theron, who played Furiosa. The differing acting styles of the two saw them often butt heads, with many members of the production crew also voicing discomfort over Hardy’s apparent difficulties due to his method-acting process. Although the two were said to have resolved their differences by the time of Fury Road‘s release, it is unlikely they will ever work together again in the future.

Beyond this, Miller himself did not deny that Max may be recast in an interview with Comicbook.com. When asked about the potentiality of recasting Max, Miller stated “We’ll have to see. I’m not even sure we’ll be doing it.” I am aware of how vague this answer is, yet it surely adds some fuel to the fire concerning Hardy’s recast. If Mad Max 5 was to enter production and a recast was a reality, this would be yet another obstacle for the film to overcome.

Furiosa’s Box Office Does Mad Max 5 No Favors

The Commercial Failure Of Furiosa Bodes Ill For The Franchise’s Future

Aside from other, more personal reasons as to why I do not think Mad Max 5 should happen, there are some hard facts to support this: Furiosa‘s box office. Mad Max: Fury Road was never an overwhelming success, yet it earned just enough to be classed as a movie worth making. Evidently, this led to studios backing Miller’s prequel idea, though this may have proven to be a mistake.

Furiosa became one of the biggest box office bombs of 2024, grossly underperforming not only in comparison to its predecessor but other movies of that year. Furiosa held a production budget of $168 million and its worldwide box office returns only just managed to eclipse this number. While I, and many others, admit that a film of its quality deserved better, it is a depressing fact that Furiosa did not resonate with general audiences across the world.

In a business that is becoming increasingly reliant on box office numbers, it is hard to imagine any studio taking a risk on Mad Max 5 after Furiosa‘s failure. Strong opening weekend numbers and longevity regarding total worldwide hauls are what guarantee sequels and franchises in modern Hollywood and Furiosa, unfortunately, possessed neither. I believe it could be possible for a director as talented as George Miller to persuade studios to do so, but the box office numbers for Furiosa raise some difficult questions over whether Mad Max 5 would suffer a similar commercial fate.

Fury Road & Furiosa Work As An Ending To The Mad Max Story

The Two-Part Story Would Work As A Culminating Chapter To The Wasteland

Finally, it is worth exploring the story reasoning behind why I think Mad Max 5 may be better left behind. For one, Mad Max: Fury Road does not inherently tease a sequel story. The film ends with Immortan Joe being killed, his tyranny over The Wasteland being demolished, Furiosa standing as a more benevolent leader of The Citadel, and Max walking away into the crowd, content that he has helped those who needed it. By the end of Mad Max: Fury Road, the world of the franchise is left in a much more hopeful place than its beginning.

Furiosa‘s story only benefitted this ending. Not only did it explain the backstory of the titular character, but it effectively ended her two-story arc, one that began with her hatred of Dementus and culminated with her defeat of Immortan Joe and alliance with Max. As a two-part story, Furiosa and Mad Max: Fury Road work effortlessly together. Naturally, the question I have is whether a third film – a fifth mainline Mad Max movie – would tarnish this tale.

It is possible that Mad Max 5 could work, but aside from the aforementioned issues, I wonder whether it is best to leave Mad Max: Fury Road‘s ending as a hopeful one. Furiosa‘s betterment of its sequel’s ending moments only reinforced this view for me, leading me to be even more certain that Mad Max 5 may not be needed after all. While I am not saying I would be upset should a fifth film be officially announced, I believe Furiosa took the franchise neatly to a paradise that Immortan Joe’s War Boys could only dub as Valhalla.