What’s the origin story of Imperator Furiosa, the ferocious warrior played by Charlize Theron in 2015’s blockbuster “Mad Max: Fury Road”? Director George Miller will tell that story in “Furiosa,” a prequel starring Anya Taylor-Joy as the title heroine.

The Warner Bros. tentpole will start shooting in Australia in August.

In Variety’s Actors on Actors TV issue, Taylor-Joy (“The Queen’s Gambit”) spoke to her “Emma” co-star Josh O’Connor (most recently seen playing Prince Charles in “The Crown”) about making “Furiosa.”

“The thing that makes me most excited about ‘Furiosa’ is, No. 1, George Miller,” Taylor-Joy says. “That brain is incredible. I feel so lucky and privileged to spend time with him, and to grow alongside him. I’m also really excited to do something physical. To physically become something else is something that will weirdly give me a lot of peace. I’m quite excited to work hard.”

But Taylor-Joy added that her dad teases her every time she says the character’s name.

“My dad gives me a lot of hell because we speak Spanish, he calls her, ‘Furiosa,’” she says, pronouncing the name with an accent. “And I’m like, it’s an English-speaking film. But, like, ‘OK Daddy.’ I’ve got a grace period until August, and then I will be working back-to-back until mid-2023.”

At 25, Taylor-Joy has been acting steadily since she broke out in the 2015 Sundance indie “The Witch.” She most recently played Beth Harmon, a 1950s chess champion in the Netflix drama “The Queen’s Gambit,” which is expected to be a frontrunner at the Emmys in the fall.

sources

NBC announced that the final two episodes of “Saturday Night Live” for its 46th season will welcome first-time hosts Keegan-Michael Key and Anya Taylor-Joy alongside respective freshman musical guests Olivia Rodrigo and Lil Nas X.

Key, who rose to fame alongside Jordan Peele by creating and starring in the “Key and Peele” comedy series and will soon appear alongside “SNL” cast member Cecily Strong in Apple TV Plus’ “Schmigadoon!”, will host on May 15. Taylor-Joy, who recently took home Golden Globe and SAG Awards for her Netflix limited series “The Queen’s Gambit,” will host the season finale on May 22.

Rodrigo, who will appear on the May 15 episode, is currently boasting the hit single “Drivers License” from her forthcoming debut album “Sour.” The track debuted at No. 1 across major streaming services and broke the Spotify record for the most single-day streams for a non-holiday song. It will be one of 11 songs featured on “Sour,” which releases on May 21.

On May 22, Lil Nas X will take the Studio 8H stage at “SNL” to perform his viral single “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” and he will also perform a brand-new song. This week, “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” officially rose to No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. singles chart and two global charts.

The late-night sketch comedy series has been on hiatus for a few weeks, but these two newly-announced episodes are following the May 8 episode, which will welcome Elon Musk as host and Miley Cyrus as musical guest. While this will mark the SpaceX CEO’s first appearance on the show, Cyrus will be making her sixth visit as a musical guest. Her most recent album, “Plastic Hearts,” bowed last November.

Additional hosts this season have included Chris Rock, Bill Burr, Issa Rae, Adele, John Mulaney, Dave Chappelle, Jason Bateman, Timothée Chalamet, Kristen Wiig, John Krasinski, Dan Levy, Regina King, Regé-Jean Page, Nick Jonas, Maya Rudolph and Daniel Kaluuya.

This season’s musical acts have included the likes of Megan Thee Stallion, Jack White, Justin Bieber, H.E.R., The Strokes, Foo Fighters, Morgan Wallen, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Due Lipa, Machine Gun Kelly, Phoebe Bridgers, Nathaniel Rateliff, Bad Bunny, Jack Harlow, St. Vincent and Kid Cudi.

Sources