Leading up to the release ofMad Max: Fury Roadlast May, directorGeorge Millerrevealed that he planned on including hisblack & whitecut on the Blu-ray and DVD, but that never happened. As it turns out, this version is apparently included in an upcoming Blu-ray set dubbed theHigh Octane Collection, which includes all fourMad Maxmovies along with a “Black and Chrome” version ofMad Max: Fury Road. However, it seems this may not be available everywhere when it’s released this fall.
Empirenoticed a pre-order link for thisHigh Octane Collectionon Amazon Germany, which will be released on September 29 in that country. In the product description for this six-disc collection it’s revealed that the “Black and Chrome” edition will be “the surreal black-and-white film version of Fury Road.” The runtime for this edition will be 120 minutes the same as the theatrical cut. Here’s what the director had to say about how the black and white cut is the best way to watchMad Max: Fury Roadduring an interview from last May.
“We spent a lot of time in DI (digital intermediate), and we had a very fine colorist, Eric Whipp. One thing I’ve noticed is that the default position for everyone is to de-saturate post-apocalyptic movies. There’s only two ways to go, make them black and white - the best version of this movie is black and white, but people reserve that for art movies now. The other version is to really go all-out on the color. The usual teal and orange thing? That’s all the colors we had to work with. The desert’s orange and the sky is teal, and we either could de-saturate it, or crank it up, to differentiate the movie. Plus, it can get really tiring watching this dull, de-saturated color, unless you go all the way out and make it black and white.”
From director George Miller, originator of the post-apocalyptic genre and mastermind behind the legendary “Mad Max” franchise, comesMad Max: Fury Road, a return to the world of the Road Warrior, Max Rockatansky. Haunted by his turbulent past, Mad Max (Tom Hardy) believes the best way to survive is to wander alone. Nevertheless, he becomes swept up with a group fleeing across the Wasteland in a War Rig driven by an elite Imperator, Furiosa (Charlize Theron). They are escaping a Citadel tyrannized by the Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne), from whom something irreplaceable has been taken. Enraged, the Warlord marshals all his gangs and pursues the rebels ruthlessly in the high-octane Road War that follows.
Warner Bros. hasn’t announced any plans for a domestic home video release ofFury Road’s black and white edition, although directorGeorge Millerand producerDoug Mitchelldid tease in an interview from December that they are contemplating atheatrical releaseat some point in 2016. The theatrical release hasn’t been confirmed by Warner Bros. either, and it isn’t clear if this entireHigh Octane Collectionwill be released in the United States. Stay tuned for more on the black and white edition ofMad Max: Fury Road, and itsplanned sequels.
