Just months after the news that Mad Max spin-off Furiosa would be delayed by a year into 2024, the production has hit another snag, with the news that Aquaman star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is stepping away from the project due to scheduling issues. Abdul-Mateen is being replaced by English actor Tom Burke, Deadline reports.
It’s unclear what conflicting project caused Abdul-Mateen to step back from Furiosa, though the actor is known to have a very full schedule already. As well as reprising the role of Black Manta in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Abdul-Mateen is also involved in Matrix 4, and has two other action films in the works.
Furiosa will be led by Anya Taylor-Joy of Queen’s Gambit fame, with the actress taking on the titular role–originally played by Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road. Chris Hemsworth is also signed on for the project, though it hasn’t been announced what character he, or newcomer Tom Burke, will be playing in the spin-off.
Furiosa is set to be a prequel to George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road, with the new film exploring the character’s growth over a much longer time-frame than its frenetic predecessor.
