Mad Max: Furiosa has shaken things up behind the scenes, with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stepping down from his role in the dystopian follow-up.
The actor, who is set to appear as Morpheus in the upcoming Matrix Resurrections, is believed to have left the project amid scheduling conflicts.
Deadline is reporting that Tom Burke will take over the undisclosed role, following success on stage and screen in the likes of Strike, The Crown, and Mank.
Burke – who played the lead role of Cormoran Strike in the BBC's adaptation of JK Rowling's detective novels – will join Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth on George Miller's latest Mad Max entry.
Related: Matrix 4 star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II confirms his role as Morpheus
News of Furiosa's casting shake-up comes after it was confirmed that the prequel's release date had been pushed back a year to 2024.
The drama, which will focus on a young version of Charlize Theron's post-apocalyptic war captain, was initially set to premiere in 2023. Instead, it now hopes to open in May of the following year.
Speaking earlier this year, Anya Taylor-Joy reacted to joining the cast, admitting that she was "most excited" about working alongside director George Miller.
"That brain is incredible," she said of the filmmaker. "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."
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Marvel hero and Taylor-Joy's soon-to-be co-star Chris Hemsworth is equally excited. "It is a huge honour," he said recently. "[There's] a lot of pressure, but exciting pressure that is certainly motivating.
"It really is, out of everything I've done, the biggest pinch-myself moment, because I've grown up watching it and it's so iconic."
