Furiosa Has A 15-Minute Action Scene That Took 78 Days To Shoot

In 2015, George Miller proved that he was still one of the best action directors in the industry with his jaw-dropping sequel, Mad Max: Fury Road. And in the upcoming prequel, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Miller may even be able to top his work on Fury Road. While speaking to Total Film Magazine, Miller’s producing partner Doug Mitchell spoke about an action sequence that required almost 200 stunt men and women working on it daily for nearly three months.

“[Furiosa] has one 15-minute sequence which took us 78 days to shoot,” said Mitchell, who also noted that the scene in question was referred to as “Stairway to Nowhere” on set, and that it’s a pivotal scene for the title character, who will be portrayed by Anya Taylor-Joy in the film. Additionally, Taylor-Joy shed some light on why the sequence is so important for her character.

“George and I would have these big conversations about why this particular set-piece was so long,” said Taylor-Joy. “It’s because you see an accumulation of skills over the course of a battle, and that’s very important for understanding how resourceful Furiosa is, but also her grit. It’s the longest sequence any of us have ever shot. On the day we finished, everybody got a ‘Stairway To Nowhere’ wine!”

Thor actor Chris Hemsworth co-stars in Furiosa as Warlord Dementus, the man who kidnaps the title character and steals her away from her family. The film serves as an origin story for Furiosa and reveals how she became the hardened warrior who was portrayed by Charlize Theron in Fury Road.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga will hit theaters on Friday, May 15.