If you’re a fan of the enduring Mad Max franchise, then May is your month to indulge in the prequel, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, after a decade-long wait.

Starring Australian A-lister Chris Hemsworth and US actor Anya Taylor-Joy, Oscar-winning director George Miller has again set the bar high, creating another iconic dystopian world first imagined 45 years ago with Mad Max in 1979, which launched the career of expat Aussie actor Mel Gibson.

Miller turns the page again with an all-new original, standalone action adventure – filmed in New South Wales and in cinemas nationally on May 23 – that reveals the origins of the Furiosa character from the Oscar-winning 2015 global smash, Mad Max: Fury Road.

The film’s promotional tour back then stopped traffic across major cities around the world, including outside the Sydney Opera House, where a stunt crew balanced atop B-doubles and swung from V8s, and wowed global audiences with its totally unhinged action.

For the record, it became Australia’s most-nominated film at the time, nominated for 10 Academy Awards and winning six, including best costume design, make-up and hairstyling, film editing, production design, sound editing and mixing.

Miller was nominated for best director and picture.

Hemsworth, who takes over the lead from Tom Hardy, Taylor-Joy (who plays a young Furiosa following Charlize Theron’s adult version in 2015), and Miller began their promotional campaign two weeks ago at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.

The blond Thor superhero has also been answering the hard questions on social media: Is he wearing prosthetics to make himself look “ugly”? Isn’t he too pretty for the wasteland? And an observation – he’s using his Australian accent in a movie for once!

As for storyline?

“As the world fell, young Furiosa is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falls into the hands of a great Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus. Sweeping through the Wasteland, they come across the Citadel presided over by The Immortan Joe,” reads the official logline.

“While the two tyrants war for dominance, Furiosa must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way home.”

Here’s what else is new to cinemas in May:

Golda: May 2

Premiering at the Berlin Film Festival last year before a US and UK release mid-year, Golda is finally in Australian cinemas.

Directed by Israeli film director Guy Nattiv (he won an Oscar for best short film, Skin), Golda tells the story of the 19 days of the Yom Kippur War in 1973 when Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir (played by Oscar winner Helen Mirren), was faced with the potential of Israel’s complete destruction.

“[She] must navigate overwhelming odds, a sceptical cabinet, and a complex relationship with US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (played by Liev Schreiber), with millions of lives in the balance. Her tough leadership and compassion would ultimately decide the fate of her nation and leave her with a controversial legacy around the world,” reads the official synopsis.

“[Mirren] brings the prime minister to flinty, vibrant life at a time when Israel faced an existential threat,” writes Variety, adding “it’s light, fast, and American, and Mirren gets it exactly right”.

Fremont: May 2

A former US military translator stationed in Afghanistan returns to San Francisco to put her life back in order.

Working at a fortune cookie factory, she decides to send out a special message via cookie.

The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White plays a lead role alongside Gregg Turkington and Anaita Wali Zada.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: May 9

Under the direction of Maze Runner’s Wes Ball, the Apes franchise turns to a future era post-Caesar, where they reign while humans exist in the shadows.

Starring Freya Allen (The Witcher) and Kevin Durand (I am Number Four, Wild Hogs), film critic and podcaster Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) reported back in February “the movie is a stinker”.

Boy Kills World: May 2

A dystopian fever dream action film that follows Boy, played by Bill Skarsgard, an orphaned, deaf mute with a “vibrant imagination”.

When his family is murdered, he seeks revenge using his martial arts skills.

If the trailer is anything to go by, prepare for “carnage and blood-letting”. Not for the faint-hearted.

The Way, My Way: May 16

Based on Bill Bennett’s best-selling memoir of the same name, this is the true story of an Australian man who decides to walk the 800-kilometre Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route through Spain.

If: May 16

And a must-see, If, the captivating story of a young girl, supported by Deadpool’s Ryan Reynolds who plays matchmaker, and together they go all out to reconnect imaginary friends to their human kids.