Mad Max: Fury Road prequel reportedly in pre-production with Charlize Theron

The Furiosa-focused prequel, titled The Wasteland, doesn't however fit with what's previously been reported about the film

Road warrior: Theron as Furiosa in 'Mad Max: Fury Road' (Getty)

After winning big at the box office and sweeping the Academy Awards with six wins, it was inevitable this wouldn't be the last we'd hear of Mad Max: Fury Road.

With the announcement that a special "Black & Chrome" edition of the film will be released onto BluRay, featuring a black-and-white cut which director George Miller has long maintained is the best iteration of the film, there are now rumours starting to circulate that a sequel is about launch into being.

Now, it's important to take the following reports with a pinch of salt as huge as Furiosa's war rig, because what's being stated doesn't quite match up with what we know so far about any possible Mad Max sequels. Essentially, Australia's The Herald-Sun states pre-production is already underway on a film titled Mad Max: The Wasteland.

Pitched as a prequel focused on Furiosa, the film would see Charlize Theron return to her already iconic role, though it presumably negates Tom Hardy returning as Mad Max himself - a little strange considering the character's the anchor to the franchise and Hardy has already stated he's signed on for three more films.

Miller has previously confirmed a follow-up film titled Mad Max: The Wasteland; however, both scripts discussed in connection to the name were sequels that didn't revolve around Furiosa in any capacity, so it'd be a wonder where this new story idea was coming from.

Furthermore, the director's stated he's reluctant to return to the world of "fire and blood" so soon, preferring first to shoot a smaller project, potentially on an iPhone in a similar manner to last year's Tangerine. That said, even Miller wouldn't be able to resist a tempting enough offer from Warner Bros., so it could be that he's simply changed directions on the project.

Theron herself recently wrapped on another exhaust-fuelled franchise film, taking on a villainous role in the upcoming Fast and Furious 8.