If you’re itching to see Mad Max: Fury Road on the big screen again, you may be in luck. During the lead-up to the release of George Miller’s action masterwork, the filmmaker teased that an alternate version of the film existed—a black and white cut. He revealed in subsequent interviews that the plan was to include this black and white version on the Blu-ray release of the film, but when the home video rollout came around, there was unfortunately no color-drained version to be found. However, instead of Warner Bros. simply opting not to release this version of the film, it appears they may just have been saving it for a much higher profile release.

As part of a profile in Screen Daily (via The Playlist), Miller not only reveals that the black and white iteration of Fury Road was his original intent, but producer Doug Mitchell adds that an official version of this cut might receive a theatrical release in 2016. That’d be a pretty spectacular way for Warner Bros. to keep fans of the film happy and earn a little extra dough in the process. And while we were all disappointed to see the black and white cut wasn’t on the Blu-ray, all would be forgiven if Warner Bros. was keen on giving this version the theatrical treatment.


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Image via Warner Bros.

I find it quite curious that Miller’s original intention was for Fury Road to be in black and white. The finished version of the film is dripping with exuberant color as cinematographer John Seale’s palette is more painterly and exaggerated, adding yet another layer to the picture. I’m mighty interested to see how the film plays without this aspect.

Whether this black and white cut is better or worse than the theatrical, any excuse to see Mad Max: Fury Road in theaters again is a worthwhile one. Here’s hoping Warner Bros. pulls the trigger on this brilliant idea. Who knows, maybe Fury Road will become a reparatory picture of sorts, playing in theaters regularly over the years. It sure as hell deserves to be experienced on the big screen as often as possible.

Tom Hardy in Mad Max: Fury Road
Image via Warner Bros.
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Image via Warner Bros.