Director George Miller faced numerous challenges while filming his latest installment in the Mad Max franchise, “Furiosa,” in Australia. Originally planning to shoot in Broken Hill, where he had filmed “The Road Warrior,” Miller and his team were forced to relocate to Namibia due to a freak superstorm that transformed the landscape into a flower garden.
Years later, when production for “Furiosa” began in spring 2022, Australia was hit with record storms and flooding, causing further complications for the filmmakers. Despite the challenges, the team persevered, with action designer Guy Norris joking that they could become water diviners if they ever needed to stop making films.
The new reality required contingency plans, additional computer graphics, and plenty of improvisation, including moving a major action sequence from a wet desert to a drier airport runway. The coronavirus pandemic also took a toll on key production members, with Miller even directing remotely while ill with Covid.
“Furiosa” features fewer action sequences than its predecessor, “Fury Road,” but the ones included are massive in scale. The centerpiece action scene, known as “Stowaway to Nowhere,” took 78 days spread out over nine months to film. The production also crafted 145 vehicles for the film, including a motorcycle chariot for the character Dementus and an even larger War Rig than the one driven by Furiosa in the previous film.
Despite the challenges and setbacks, the team behind “Furiosa” remained dedicated to bringing Miller’s vision to life, with production designer Gibson emphasizing the commitment to creating a realistic world through practical effects and CGI embellishments. As the biker horde led by Dementus grows to the thousands, the special effects needed to realize it also increase, showcasing the scale and ambition of the film.
