In a method and magnetic resonance (MR) system for generation of localizer slice images of an examination volume of a subject for MR examination planning, such as for a whole-body examination of a patient, the localizer slice images being in three orthogonal planes, image data for the entire examination volume and acquired in the form of a family of individual, plane-parallel slice images in a first designated plane orientation for generation of a 3D volume image data set, a two-dimensional coronal or sagittal representation of the entire examination volume in the first designated plane is generated using the slice image family and is output to a monitor, for following image data acquisitions, of a desired examination region is selected in the representation of the entire examination volume on the monitor and is represented on the monitor as a localizer slice image for the first plane and the second and third localizer slice images in the two further orthogonal planes are determined using the 3D volume image data of the selected examination region, and are represented on the monitor.