Rogue One: A Star Wars Story may be this month’s cover star, but the latest issue of Empire magazine is set to spotlight a multitude of upcoming films arriving in 2017 and beyond, and Logan is one of them.
Signalling Hugh Jackman’s final appearance as the iconic mutant, James Mangold’s R-rated actioner will close the book on Wolverine’s saga 17 years after it first began, at which point moviegoers will be introduced to a bearded and, frankly, haggard protagonist living out his remaining days in a near-future wherein the mutant population is dwindling – and dwindling fast. On paper, that tees up a much more intimate affair, and Mangold has stressed in the past that Logan will shy away from effects-heavy action sequences in the name of story: “if you’re on the make for a city-block destroying CG fuckathon, this ain’t your movie,” he said.
That’s a sentiment the director echoes while chatting to Empire, stating that with Logan, “the goal was to make something human. We made an effort to scale back on the gloss and greenscreen.” As a point of reference, the outlet also debuted a new action shot from the 2017 threequel – in color, for a change! – which once again draws attention to the bond between Wolverine and Dafne Keane’s Laura/X-23.
Adding to this, Hugh Jackman teased some of Wolverine’s internal struggles: “It’s essential you see this as the story of a man who is struggling with mortality and legacy, and whether the world has been better off with him or without him.” We’d wager that it’s better off with him, even for just one more ride.
One last time? One last time. Logan will claw its way onto the silver screen on March 3, 2017.