Anya Taylor-Joy to Take Over for Charlize Theron in Mad Max Prequel Furiosa

There's a new Furiosa.

Anya Taylor-Joy is set to play the titular character in the upcoming prequel to the 2015 hit Mad Max: Fury Road. Taylor-Joy takes over as a younger Furiosa from Charlize Theron, who starred in Fury Road as the already-iconic character.

It's the latest high-profile role for Taylor-Joy, who is of English and Argentinian descent. The actress most recently appeared in Emma. as the Jane Austen heroine, in M. Knight Shyamalan's Split and Glass and the 2017 thriller Thoroughbreads. She's also made a few TV appearances and is next starring in the Netflix series The Queen's Gambit.

The actress, 24, recently spoke to PEOPLE about her preparation for Emma. and getting over her fear of leading a big movie.

"I do see myself as a chameleon, I really like to get lost in these characters and so very quickly Anya kind of shifted away from that, and I was Emma and that was how I was existing. So, I think that fear kind of went away quite quickly," she said.

Director George Miller, 75, created the franchise beginning with Mad Max (1979), Mad Max 2 (1981) and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), which all starred Mel Gibson in the leading role. His 2015 film Mad Max: Fury Road followed Max (played by Tom Hardy) as he helped Furiosa, a fierce rig driver, in a war against the tyrant Immortan Joe.

While Taylor-Joy is certainly set for success as Furiosa, Theron admitted earlier this year that it was "heartbreaking" to not be able to play the character after Miller decided against using de-aging technology to transform Theron into the younger character.

"It’s a tough one to swallow," Theron told The Hollywood Reporter. "Yeah, it’s a little heartbreaking, for sure. I really love that character, and I’m so grateful that I had a small part in creating her. She will forever be someone I think of and reflect on fondly."