The X-Men franchise probably wouldn’t still be around today if the mighty Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) wasn’t a part of it. He made his first appearance in Bryan Singer’s X-Men (2000), and he is now one of the franchise’s most popular characters. That celebrity status also earned him his own standalone series, beginning with X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), and The Wolverine (2013). While neither of those films received overwhelming praise, they still have led us to the third and final installment, Logan. It marks the final appearance of Jackman as Wolverine and Patrick Stewart as Professor X. The film centers around an aging Wolverine as he desperately tries to keep his (presumed) clone-daughter, X-23 (Dafne Keen), alive.
You would think that an intimate, quiet superhero movie would instantly deter many moviegoers away - but in Logan’s case, that couldn’t be further from the truth. The marketing for the film is truly superb. Jackman and his cohorts have released a plethora of gorgeous still images, most done in black and white, that tease the darker sides of the film. For while it seemed like Logan would actually be released in the colorless format, but the trailer that recently hit quickly threw those hopes under the bus. Despite many of the locations and characters featured in the stills remaining a mystery to us, the few that we can deduce at least partially are the ones that include X-23. And for the diehard fans out there, we’ve been given yet another look at the troubled young mutant.
Debuting with the new issue of Empire Magazine, a new Logan image shows the battered Wolverine carrying X-23 to safety. Behind them is a massive fire that consumes some type of truck or military vehicle. Even though the image is in color, it’s still equally beautiful as its black and white predecessors. The relationship between Wolverine and X-23 seems to be one of the film’s focus points, so it’s no surprise the marketing is trying to push that as much as possible. Take a peek at the new image below.
The really interesting thing about images like the one above is literally how they look, not just because of what they feature. Mangold recently discussed how he was inspired by “classical filmmaking” and comic book panels in creating the look for Logan, and that style is very evident in everything we’ve seen so far. It’s bittersweet that the film will probably not be released in black and white, despite many people wishing it to be. That said, there’s always the potential for an alternate or extended cut to be added in for the home media release. But either way, Logan is proving itself to be much more than a run-of-the-mill superhero sequel.
It’s sad that Jackman as the eponymous character will not be popping up again on the big screen in the future (until further notice, anyway). The comforting part of the situation is that Jackman is just a much a part of the X-Men franchise as the Wolverine character, so it's only rational that both take their leave together. And thankfully, Mangold appears to be giving both parties a proper send off.
Source: Empire
