Summary

• Lachy Hulme is revealed as Immortan Joe in Furiosa after Hugh Keays-Byrne's passing.
• Hulme offered to take on the role halfway through filming in addition to his original part.
• Furiosa features new faces playing familiar characters for a different Mad Max experience.

Furiosa reveals its casting for the character of Immortan Joe. Furiosa is a prequel to 2015’s hit action film Mad Max: Fury Road, following the story of the titular protagonist as she searches for home after being kidnapped by a biker gang as a child. Furiosa is directed by Mad Max auteur George Miller and is set for release on May 24.

Per Empire, the new Immortan Joe actor has been revealed. He will be played by Lachy Hulme in the film. Prior to being cast as Immortan Joe, Hulme was set to play Rizzdale Pell, a gang member associated with Dementus, in the film. Halfway through filming, Hulme asked Miller about the plans for Immortan Joe, and then offered to play the role in addition to his existing part as Rizzdale Pell. Hulme elaborated on his casting:

[Miller] said, ‘I’ll probably just get a body double.’ “I said, ‘Well, somebody needs to step up for Hugh. Someone needs to honour this great man. I can do it. I can do the voice. And it’s all in the eyes.’ He said, ‘Do you want to do it?’ I said, ‘What took you so long? You’ve finally figured out that this movie ain’t gonna make dollar one until you’ve got double Lachy Hulme in it!’

Will Furiosa’s Multiple Re-Castings Work?

Immortan Joe was introduced as the main antagonist in Mad Max: Fury Road. He was played by Hugh Keays-Byrne, who played the role of Toecutter in 1979’s Mad Max. Tragically, Keays-Byrne passed away on December 1, 2020 at the age of 73. Now Hulme will be playing double duty in the film.

Keays-Byrne is not the only major actor to be re-cast in Furiosa. The main character of Furiosa is played by Anya Taylor-Joy after having been portrayed by Charlize Theron in Fury Road. This decision was somewhat controversial at first, as Theron is alive and was highly acclaimed for her work playing Furiosa in the former Mad Max film. However, Furiosa will portray a coming-of-age tale, which is one reason cited for Taylor-Joy’s casting.

These castings will create an interesting effect in Furiosa, as audiences will see familiar characters played by new faces. The inclusion of Immortan Joe and Furiosa will create some continuity to the Mad Max universe, but it will come with viewers having to get acclimated to the new style of Taylor-Joy and Hulme. Just how effective this change is remains to be seen as Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga hits theaters this May.

Furiosa is available to stream on Max.

Source: Empire