George Miller’s Furiosa is losing one of its biggest stars. According to Deadline, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has vacated his mystery role in the highly-anticipated prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road. In his stead, the filmmakers have chosen Tom Burke to replace him.
Furiosa takes place several years before Fury Road and will introduce Anya Taylor-Joy as a younger version of the character played by Charlize Theron in the previous Mad Max installment. Taylor-Joy’s casting was confirmed last fall alongside that of Abdul-Mateen and Chris Hemsworth. Abdul-Mateen has become one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars following his breakout appearance in Aquaman and his Emmy-winning turn on HBO’s Watchmen. His absence from Furiosa is bound to leave a lot of fans disappointed.
Deadline’s sources claim that a scheduling conflict is to blame for Abdul-Mateen’s decision to leave the film. Apparently he has been developing a “secret passion project” whose production recently moved up and would have conflicted with Furiosa, hence his departure.
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Regardless, Burke could be a suitable replacement. Viewers might recognize him from his roles in The Souvenir and Only God Forgives. He also played Orson Welles in David Fincher’s Mank, which hit Netflix last year.
Miller is directing Furiosa from a script he co-wrote with his longtime producing partner, Doug Mitchell. The movie was originally going to hit theaters in the summer of 2023. But back in September, Warner Bros. pushed the film back to May 24, 2024.
How do you feel about Burke replacing Abdul-Mateen in the film? Tell us what you think in the comment section below
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