The Black-and-White Logan Noir Trailer Will Bring a Tear to Your Eye

Earlier this year, James Mangold’s Logan ripped into theaters claws-first, severing the heartstrings of moviegoers and critics alike. Hugh Jackman’s final portrayal of the X-Men standout character was as startlingly intimate as it was chillingly brutal. The film’s nihilistic bent only further highlighted how far modern superhero movies have come and how drastically different Logan’s take on the genre was.

Pleased reviewers took note of the film’s darkly-noirish look and themes, but some fans wanted Logan to take it a step further. The thinking is that a black-and-white offering of the film would accent the film’s heavy noir influences and lend it an art-house vibe. Apparently, Mangold agreed, explaining:

During production of Logan I took many black and white photographs and noticed how striking and dramatic our gritty settings and characters appeared in monochrome. The western and noir vibes of the film seemed to shine in the format and there was not a trace of modern comic hero movie sheen. Then, while editing, Fox and I started posting some of the black and white stills online and fans also began to respond enthusiastically, many hoping that they would get a chance to see the finished film in carefully timed, high contrast black and white. Well. Sometimes hope becomes reality.

The new trailer does appear to lend an air of gravitas to what is ostensibly a movie about an old man killing people with metal claws in his fists. The new look somehow makes the film even more depressing, which should certainly please fans of the original. Whether Logan Noir will truly—and literally—paint the film in a new light remains to be seen, but if the trailer is any indication, it’s looking like Logan Noir is worthy of a revisit.

This continues a recent trend kicked off by Mad Max: Fury Road’s black-and-white “Chrome Edition” which was released on Blu-Ray last December. That version was well-received, and it appears this trend is here to stay. As with most film gimmicks, it’ll be interesting to see how far this recoloring will extend. Will we get an Inside Out: Sadness Edition or a Greatest WWE Fights Compilation Blu-Ray in beautifully rendered monochrome, overlaid with Nine Inch Nail songs covered by a nearly weeping Johnny Cash? Only time will tell.

Check out the trailer above, and look for the opportunity to pretend you’re watching a movie from the 1940s on May 23.

Get #Logan Noir, included with the theatrical cut on Digital HD tomorrow. On Blu-ray and DVD May 23. https://t.co/KY9608SwTKpic.twitter.com/ZcWbjSXVYo

— Logan (@WolverineMovie) May 15, 2017