Everybody knows that Mel Gibson and Tom Hardy are the only two actors to have played Furiosa began life as an anime spinoff, but before evolving into a live-action prequel following Fury Road's success. An oft-overlooked entry in the saga was 2015's Mad Max, an underrated game that Miller has essentially disowned.
What's unique about the Mad Max movie franchise is how loose the continuity is. Trying to map out a coherent timeline among the movies is a ticket to despair, and the canon status of the video game was always shaky. It was believed to be a standalone tale that was pulled from the films without being truly connected to them. That all changed with the release of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga in 2024, as the Anya Taylor-Joy starring prequel taking some key characters from the game.
Mad Max: How Old Max Is In Every Movie
It is not easy to work out what age Mad Max is in The Road Warrior, Beyond Thunderdome, and Fury Road, but it can be done with some detective work.
Furiosa Made Mad Max's 2015 Video Game Canon, Creating A Third Official Mad Max Actor
Furiosa made Bren Foster part of Mad Max clubhouse
When the Mad Max game was first shown to journalists, there was controversy over the character having an American accent. In the first three films, Gibson's Max spoke with a distinct Australian twang. Taking this to heart, developers Avalanche Studios cast Australian actor Bren Foster to voice Max. Foster is an actor and martial artist, who at the time was known for appearing in Steven Seagal movies like Maximum Conviction. Furiosa would later confirm the game and Foster's take on Max is canon, thanks to the appearance of Scabrous Scrotus, Immortan Joe's son, in both.
Scrotus had only appeared in the game previously, with no mention of him having been made in Fury Road. However, Josh Helman had a major ing role as Scrotus in Furiosa, which suggests the game took place between the 2024 prequel and Fury Road; this would also explain his absence in the latter film. Furiosa also featured a cameo from Chumbucket, the mechanic who aids Max in the video game. Despite his dislike of the 2015 spinoff, Miller apparently still considered its story somewhat canonical.
Before being cast as Scabrous Scrotus in Furiosa, Josh Helman played the War Boy Slit in Fury Road.
How The Video Game Mad Max Compares To Mel Gibson & Tom Hardy
Foster's Max is still plenty Mad
Foster voiced the titular role in the Mad Max game, while Kym Bradley provided the motion capture. The characterization of Max in the game is in keeping with the original movies; he's not a man of many words, though he does open up to his new allies. It's still strange to think of the game as linking directly to Fury Road though, as Hardy's Max is a good deal more feral and anti-social than either Gibson or Foster's take.
Bren Foster may not have gotten a chance to place Mad Max on the big screen, but his vocal performance really captures the gruffness and underlying melancholy of the character.
It should be noted the movies and games don't perfectly align - but it does slot in quite neatly as a midquel between Furiosa and Fury Road. Of course, fans are free to pick and choose what they consider canon, as Miller has always had a loose relationship with the Mad Max timeline. Foster may not have gotten a chance to place Mad Max on the big screen, but his vocal performance captured the gruffness and underlying melancholy of the character.
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- Movie(s)
- Mad Max, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Mad Max: The Wasteland
- First Film
- Mad Max
- Cast
- Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Steve Bisley, Tim Burns, Roger Ward, Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Riley Keough, Zoë Kravitz, Abbey Lee, Courtney Eaton, Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, Alyla Browne
- Character(s)
- Max Rockatansky, Immortan Joe, Furiosa, Rictus Erectus, Angharad, The People Eater, Corpus Colossus, Toecutter, Nux, Dr. Dementus
- Video Game(s)
- Mad Max (1990), Mad Max (2015)
- Comic Release Date
- 213377,213380
Mad Max is an Australian post-apocalyptic franchise created by George Miller and Byron Kennedy. The first three films star Mel Gibson as Max Rockatansky, a former police officer who seeks revenge after his family is murdered. Tom Hardy took over the role for 2015's Mad Max: Fury Road, which was followed by Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga starring Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa.
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Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
8/10- Release Date
- May 24, 2024
- Runtime
- 148 Minutes
- Director
- George Miller
Cast
Furiosa
Dementus
WHERE TO WATCH
StreamingRENTBUYA prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa is an action-adventure film that tells the origin story of the headstrong and fearless Furiosa. Set shortly after the beginning of the "end of the world," Furiosa is kidnapped and brought before a powerful warlord, now forced to work for him. To find her way back home, Furiosa will adapt to the new harsh and arid world as she grows into the Furiosa she becomes known to be.
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Mad Max
- Released
- September 1, 2015
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Avalanche Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Warner Bros. Interactive
- Engine
- Apex Engine
- Franchise
- Mad Max
Are you a fan of post-apocalyptic chaos and fury with all the attendant clashes that come with it? If so, you might find this title to be the one game dreams are made of. Inspired by the Aussie hit movie franchise which has ruled the cinematic landscape for almost four decades, it manages to encapsulate that very essence of rugged desperation, survival, and conflict that are the essence of each film release. Here you step into the skin of Mark Rockatansky the protagonist of the series where you must traverse a vast wasteland. Your destination is the Plain of Silence and reaching it will be no easy task. However, you have on your side, your trusty vehicle which is more than just a means of transport and is also a combat weapon too. Yes, it is customizable with notable changes with each upgrade. And it can be used as a mechanical battering ram of sorts to reduce your enemies’ vehicles to piles of smoldering rubble, resulting in oodles of satisfaction each time you do. What you don’t destroy of their rides, it will welcome in the form of upgrades — the useful stuff anyway. Also by your side is a faithful canine, which will serve to sniff out danger in the form of mines. The game also comes with all the additional staples that make the best RPGs, missions galore, a varied map filled with strongholds to conquer, high-octane encounters, and loads of weapons with which to inflict crushing defeat on your foes. If the game calls to your inner adventurer, all you have to do is step into the persona of Mark and enjoy the ride of a lifetime.
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