“Furiosa” Features 15-Minute Action Scene That Took '78 Days to Shoot' with 200 Stunt Performers

'It's the longest sequence any of us have ever shot,' Anya Taylor-Joy said of the action-packed scene

<p>Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures</p>

Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

'FURIOSA'

The upcoming Mad Max prequel is going to be bigger than ever before.

In an interview with Total Film, the producer of the upcoming Anya Taylor-Joy-led film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Doug Mitchell revealed that the prequel will feature a "15-minute sequence which took us 78 days to shoot," with nearly 200 stunt people working on it each day.

According to Mitchell, the sequence is known as "Stairway to Nowhere," and is a turning point for the titular character — who was played by Charlize Theron in 2015's Mad Max: Fury Road.

"George and I would have these big conversations about why this particular set-piece was so long," Taylor-Joy told the magazine. "It’s because you see an accumulation of skills over the course of a battle, and that’s very important for understanding how resourceful Furiosa is, but also her grit."

Related: Everything to Know About the Mad Max Prequel Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

"It’s the longest sequence any of us have ever shot," she added. "On the day we finished, everybody got a 'Stairway To Nowhere' wine!"

In Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa is a war captain serving the Immortan Joe, eventually turning against him to free his female breeders. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga will explore the character's backstory, when she was kidnapped by Chris Hemsworth's Dementus.

Taylor-Joy, 27, and Hemsworth, 40, provided a a sneak peek of the prequel earlier this month at CinemaCon 2024 in Las Vegas, unveiling details, footage and never-before-seen photos.

As part of a presentation from distributor Warner Bros., Taylor-Joy, Hemsworth and writer-director George Miller greeted an enthusiastic crowd at Caesar’s Palace.

Miller, 79, introduced an extended sneak peek full of fiery glimpses of the Wasteland. It appears the story of Furiosa will be broken up into three distinct acts: “I: Her Odyssey Begins,” “II: A Warrior Awakens” and “III: Ride Into Vengeance.”

“In order to tell the story in Mad Max: Fury Road, we had to know everything that happened” beforehand, Miller said at CinemaCon. “That story was told over three days. [Furiosa] happens over about 16 to 18 years… We had to know where every vehicle, every prop, every character, every gesture, every utterance came from."

Related: Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth Unveil Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Details at CinemaCon

The Oscar winner joked that his two stars are "complete frauds to me" out of character after taking months to edit the new movie.

“This is the story of one woman’s relentless commitment to hope,” Taylor-Joy said at CinemaCon. “I cannot wait to see this world realized on a really big screen.”

The Dune: Part Two star said playing Furiosa was "an honor," adding, “I fell in love with her the way that Charlize portrayed her and never imagined that I would have this opportunity. So thank you, George!”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

Taylor-Joy told IndieWire in 2022 her work in Furiosa marked the “dirtiest and the bloodiest I have ever been" for a movie, "which is saying something.”

She added at the time, "I’ve been on a different planet for the last seven months. I think I need to sit down and attempt to try and digest what’s happened.”

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is in theaters on May 24.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.