Last month can certainly be marked as one of the more resonant moments in comic book movie history, and specifically with regard to Logan from director James Mangold. Not merely following the R-rated formula per Deadpool for the sake of trendiness, the film delivered an otherwise concentrated, focused and intense story that ultimately delivered the violent brutality that's been long-awaited in the Marvel superhero's screentime for the first time in nearly seventeen years.
By that turn, it also carried over its own timeline as things branched out from Bryan Singer's Days Of Future Past adaptation, thus allowing Mangold's own exploration of the character capitalizing on its popularity continued in print with Marvel's Secret Wars. And not for nothing either with many critics complimenting the movie from its riproaring festival debut in Berlin to its rollout via 20th Century Fox. Our own Khalil Barnett weighed in on the matter in several ways describing it thus, in part:
"...There's the story of the tragic hero looking back on his life, marking this the first superhero film to examine the consequences of superheroing. There's the story of a lifelong friendships coming around to its final curtain, a friendship that has grown, as many do, into a filial bond. And there is the story of Logan and Laura. One of subtle humor and a heartbreak, an arc that will take you by the throat and drag you uncounted miles in the mud. And you'll be grateful for it, as was I."
Barnett subsequently, and with all the brilliance and cohesion in the world, summed up the action in a single sentence reading, "...What John Wick is to the headshot, Logan is to the head stab.", and he's not wrong as the film itself delivers a pure and intense treatment of the character's feral fighting style, accompanied by some suprising twists along the way involving actress Dafne Keen's role as the agile, ferocious and equally tacit and deadly X-23.
Take this all into mind as we approach the month of May, and considerably if you're one of the many who have contributed to Logan's near-$605 million dollar reception at the global box office. On that note, you might have been keen on following Mangold's Twitter account where he's been updating fans on casting and production, as well as his own partiality toward black and white photography, something which caught onto fans last year and stirred talk of a possible Black And White release for the film at the time.
Obviously that didn't come to pass by March 3 and we ended up with a version fully colored in all its R-rated splendor, although clearly by Mangold's recent tweets going into the weekend, next month may tell a different tale as fans could get their wish after all:
Suggestion. Hard core B&W loving LOGAN fans should not make any plans on the evening of May 16th.— Mangold (@mang0ld) April 28, 2017
@KarlAlden @Aldo7heApache Won't be on a TV. And the answer is no. To make a great B&W version of a film, the whole thing's gotta be regraded & timed shot by shot.— Mangold (@mang0ld) April 28, 2017
— Mangold (@mang0ld) April 28, 2017
If a Black And White version is what the fans want, then that's what they'll get on May 16. As for the rollout, we're still yet to see if it will get a wide release as those tend to start early in the window. This probably means the re-release won't get a major campaign but just sizeable enough to garner attention and let word of mouth do the rest for the fans. Besides, the film made its money back five times over and there's plenty to garner from its inbound DVD/Blu-Ray/Digital HD package release on May 23 which will also reportedly include a Black And White version.
Ah, what a time to be an X-Men fan... Stay tuned for some rich, crispy black and white promo footage within the next three weeks!
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