Mad Max blockbuster Furiosa shuts down production

'Furiosa' has shut down production.

The fifth installment of the blockbuster 'Mad Max' series was shooting in the Sydney suburb of Kurnell when director George Miller reportedly contracted COVID-19, meaning that work on the movie will be stopped until August 15 while he endures a period of isolation.

According to The Daily Mail Australia, legendary movie maker George, 77, - who created the police officer action franchise back in the 1970s and has won him a total of six Academy Awards - is believed to have tested positive for the virus on Monday (08.08.22) and is said to be isolating at his home in Sydney.

The multi-million dollar movie sees 'Thor' star Chris Hemsworth take on the role of antagonist Immortan Joe as well as 'War and Peace' actor Tom Burke as Dr. Dementus, while ' The Queen's Gambit' star Anya Taylor-Joy takes on the title role of Imperator Furiosa.

Back in June, George - who has been married to film editor Margaret Sixel since 1995 and has sons Buda, 26, and 22-year-old Tige with her as well as daughter Augusta, 34, with ex-wife Sandy Gore - explained that he cast Anya after being particularly impressed with her triple-role in 'Suspiria' and hailed the 26-year-old star as one of the "wisest people" he has ever known.

He told The Hollywood Reporter: "She really is something. She's an artist and one of the wisest people I've ever known. It was the first

thing I thought about. In 'Suspiria', she played three roles, one of which is an old man, so I

thought, well, she could play one of the men (in 'Furiosa'). But unfortunately, there was no role that she would fit. If you force a character into a film, it's usually the first one to end up on the cutting room floor. I would never do that to her, but I definitely wanted to make it happen."