George Miller on Why He Turned 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Black and White, Plus a First Look at the 'Black and Chrome Edition' (Exclusive)

Let’s all agree that the visceral, white-knuckle ride of Mad Max: Fury Road was one of 2015’s cinematic highlights. But, as director George Miller tells it, we ain’t seen nothing yet.

Miller’s preferred cut of the film has never played in theaters and, to date, has been unavailable on DVD, Blu-ray, or digital HD — although that will change in December. Unlike most director’s cuts, however, the forthcoming Black and Chrome Edition doesn’t add deleted scenes or extra footage; it subtracts. To be specific, this Mad Max is color-less.

In Miller’s introduction to the new cut, which the filmmaker and Warner Bros. exclusively shared with Yahoo Movies (watch it above), Miller explains why he desperately wanted to release a monochromatic version of his eye-popping film.

“I’ve always dreamed about putting out a Mad Max movie in black and white,” he begins, noting that his favorite version of Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior was a cheap “slash dupe” used for the film’s scoring sessions. “Something about black and white, the way it distills [the film], makes it a little bit more abstract… makes it a little more iconic.”

Recalling his affinity for the never-released version of Road Warrior, Miller asked his colorist to create a stripped-down Fury Road as an experiment. And the director loved the results, leading to what he calls the Black and Chrome Edition, which will be available Dec. 6 in a two-disc set with the original theatrical release ($30) and also as part of the Mad Max High-Octane Collection ($55 for DVD; $80 for Blu-ray). The latter collects the full quartet of films — including Mad Max (1979), The Road Warrior (1982), and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) — along with a movie-length documentary on the saga and a making-of featurette on The Road Warrior. Both packages contain Miller’s introduction.

“So here we are with a black and white version of [Fury Road]. Some scenes in particular play a lot better; and some, there’s some information that we got from the color that is missing,” he says.

“But overall for me, it’s the best version of the movie. It will be interesting to see if you agree.”

Director’s Reel: Watch George Miller discuss his greatest films:

Director’s Reel: George Miller