Mad Max's Furiosa prequel looms large, but leaves Charlize behind

You can’t always spot a generational movie in its moment. But Mad Max: Fury Road was very special, and everyone who saw it knew it. The 2015 hit didn’t just satisfy fans of one of cinema’s legendary action franchises, it revitalized the critical perception of action movies with its physical storytelling and masterful cinematography.

Fury Road also explored some explicitly feminist themes, continuing a tradition of social commentary that began with the first Mad Max in 1979. And the biggest reason for its success was Charlize Theron’s portrayal of the tough, compassionate and compelling Imperator Furiosa, an instantly-iconic heroine.

Despite the Mad Max branding and Tom Hardy’s gruff-but-layered lead performance anchoring the film, Fury Road turned out to be Furiosa’s story in all but name. Audiences worldwide savored every moment of it, and immediately demanded more!

After five uncertain years, it seems that wish may be coming true, but a finger on the monkey’s paw has curled; a “heartbroken” Theron confirmed in an interview that she had been politely turned down for Furiosa’s title role.

Fans online were aghast at the news, and Charlize admitted it was very difficult to accept after pouring so much of herself into the character. “I really love that character, and I'm so grateful that I had a small part in creating her. She will forever be someone I think of and reflect on fondly.”

But the Oscar-winner isn’t holding it against Mad Max’s mastermind director George Miller. In the same breath she described him as “a master”, and spoke of his commitment to the filmmaker’s craft. Unfortunately it seems that same uncompromising vision is now forcing Miller to replace Theron! 

Miller has had the script for a Furiosa origin story written since before shooting on Fury Road even began. Cast members who read it as background for their parts have proclaimed it “genius”. But legal trouble with the studio over Fury Road’s financials stalled any immediate follow-up. And with the Furiosa film pitched as an origin story, the idea of passing off an older Theron as a much younger Imperator has been ruled out. Instead, Miller has been floating names like Jodie Comer (Killing Eve) and Anya Taylor-Joy (The VVitch) to fill her combat boots.

Will the project be able to find success without the chops of Charlize? We’ll find out in a year or two.

Tron 3 rumor resurfaces with Leto and Daft Punk attached

Part of the reason Fury Road took audiences by surprise was the checkered history of movie-franchise reboots. Hollywood’s tendency to cannibalize past hits to try and secure readymade audiences for its modern blockbusters has worn thin, often upsetting the nostalgic fans it seeks to court.

The 2010 special-effects dazzler Tron: Legacy definitely landed awkwardly, leaving it in the same position as the original Tron from 1982: a cult hit and landmark for FX and design in its day, but a financial flop that took a generation to build momentum for a sequel.

For a while it seemed that we’d be waiting just as long for a Tron 3, despite almost all personnel from Legacy eagerly declaring their desire to return to the neon-lit world of The Grid. With some obvious and exciting threads left dangling from the second film and big names like Daft Punk, director Joe Kasinski, and leads Olivia Wilde and Garrett Hedlund getting behind the idea, much of the framework is already in place; but Disney seemed unwilling to take another risk on Tron.

Until now, that is. The internet has seized on some comments made by Disney executive Mitchell Leib, who is head honcho for music and soundtracks at the House of Mouse. He recently spoke about Tron 3 on a podcast, referring to it as Tron: Ascension and saying they already had a “phenomenal script” and Daft Punk in talks to repeat their acclaimed soundtrack from Legacy.

The most exciting aspect of this casual leak, though, is that it happened on a podcast dedicated to Mission Impossible! Leib was just chatting about his work and made a personal decision to bring up Daft Punk and Tron 3 out of nowhere. Surely there’s some particular reason for him to do that…

If Tron: Ascension is the real deal (finally), that title seems to indicate that it’s rooted in an idea for the script that was floating around the internet between 2015-18. Ascension follows up directly on the events of Tron: Legacy, unleashing the coldly logical computer-world of The Grid on our own physical reality. While Cillian Murphy was teased in Legacy with a role as Ed Dillinger Jr., the son of the original villain, this script switched gears to feature ex-Joker actor Jared Leto as a mysterious antagonist "Ares".

Given that Leto has become quite controversial in Hollywood over the last decade, and the love the Tron fandom has for callbacks like Murphy’s boardroom bad guy, the spotlighting of Leto has made the reception for this long-awaited news more mixed than you’d expect. Still, we’re going to get some great music and visuals out of Tron: Ascension no matter what! 

Oh, and what did Disney’s Leib have to say about the company suddenly developing a sequel to a 2010 film from a script they’ve sat on since 2015? 

“It wasn’t the time then… but it is now.” 

It seems very likely that the rush to fill the Disney+ content library with original programming has reopened the file on this once-abandoned project - and who knows what else?

Fast fandom

As always, there is a ton going on in the interconnected world of pop culture and fan media. Here are a few of the stories that caught our eye:

Disney+ sweeps the streaming stage with Hamilton premiere

The era of streaming TV had already entered a new and hyper-competitive phase by the start of this year, but demand from individuals locked down at home since March has led to a rapid acceleration of that conflict - particularly on Disney’s side.

The media goliath scored its biggest success yet with the launch of Hamilton on Disney+ this week, bringing record numbers of subscribers for the premiere. The semi-live recording of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s inimitable Broadway megahit, for which Disney paid a staggering $75 million rights fee, is still the first chance for millions of fans to witness the energy of the famed but exclusive stage-show; preserved through nine cameras and over a hundred microphones.

Suffice to say the #Hamilfilm has not disappointed. The reawakened culture craze has already propelled the post-Hamilton projects of cast members, like Lamar Odom-led thriller Only, to their own record streaming numbers!

Film crews adopt gaming tech to keep cameras rolling through pandemic

As Hollywood productions have experienced stop-start frustration due to the unpredictable effects of COVID-19, crews have turned to the game design industry for a reliable way to get back in the studio - even if that “studio” only exists online.

Top-notch tools like the Unreal Engine, developed to allow for photorealistic cutscenes and environments in modern games, feature sufficiently sophisticated tools for lighting, staging and animation. Even veteran George Miller has commented on the impressive digital performances achieved in modern games like Death Stranding, musing that soon the technology will allow issues like Charlize Theron’s age to be overcome seamlessly. Now, quarantined production teams are using them to shoot new scenes without leaving their homes - as this impressive video demonstrates.

Disney World is reopening - but watch your mouth!

In an early issue of the Mythic Messenger, our team touched on the sad story of Jeff Reitz, a Disneyland super-fan whose record streak of attendance at the theme park ended abruptly when it was closed down by the coronavirus. Well, Disney is now preparing to reopen!

Disney World in Orlando is going ahead with plans to bring in new visitors this weekend, despite significant controversy over the politics of that decision. Florida is still registering almost 10,000 new cases of COVID-19 per day, but Disney hopes that its new, rigorous safety measures will help start the park back on the road to normalcy.

They could still take some hints from their international colleagues, however. Theme parks in Japan have been enforcing a “no screaming” edict on their rollercoasters, to avoid guests exhaling infectious droplets! “Please scream inside your heart,” their slogan says. You can see the darkly-hilarious results in this video.