Last night, James Mangold hosted a live stream of Logan where he revealed in detail what went into making the critical and box office smash. During the stream, he released never-before-seen concept art, behind-the-scenes photos and answered questions from fans. But one of the coolest new things we got to see was this “video viz” created to prepare for shooting the opening scene.
Check it out below:
And here is the video viz for the opening scene that Garret Warren (stunts / 2U) & his team & myself put together in prep. #Logan #QuarantineWatchParty @ComicBook
I had to repost, the previous post had the wrong viz! pic.twitter.com/w2At0wteY9
— Mangold (@mang0ld) May 27, 2020
The opening is an incredibly important scene that sets the tone for what’s to come. We meet Logan as a limo driver simply trying to protect his car and getting badly beaten up by a gang of goons. But, in classic Western style, said goons don’t know who they’re messing with. After they kick him while he’s down, Logan lets out a roar of rage, pops his claws and renders his assailants armless. But this opening doesn’t only set up his character, it also tells the audience that this is going to be different from other X-Men movies and that maybe you should think twice before watching it with your kids.
This test footage matches what’s in the film shot-for-shot, with stuntman Garret Warren standing in for Hugh Jackman. Though obviously in very rough form, the visceral nature of the scene still comes through. I was also pleased to see that the gag about the guy getting his arm cut off, only for said arm to shoot the car, was in there from the start.
This video makes me appreciate Logan all the more. Despite constant rumors of Hugh Jackman strapping on the claws one last time, I doubt he’ll return. And why should he? It’s very rare for a character to get as grand and moving a send-off as his Wolverine did in Logan, so why spoil it with an unnecessary resurrection?
Of course, that doesn’t mean Wolverine will be gone from our screens for long. Marvel Studios are cooking up their take on Wolvie as we speak, so more on that the moment we hear it.
