Coming off a big win at the 27th American Society of Cinematographers ceremony, Roger Deakins has confirmed his next gig as Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners, which has a talented cast attached to it that boasts names like Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Melissa Leo, Paul Dano, Mario Bello, Viola Davis and Terrence Howard.
Responsible for some of the most gorgeous looking films, well, ever, Deakins is a very respected and highly acclaimed cinematographer. He is without a doubt one of the best in the business and any film that he puts his touch on comes out looking spectacular. Despite this, he is still without an Oscar.
That could change this year though as he’s been nominated for Skyfall, but as it stands, one of the industry’s best is still without an Academy Award. That being said, given the fact that he took home the top honor from the ASC this year, it’s a strong indicator that the Academy may finally honour him. But only time will tell.
Back to Prisoners, production on the film is already underway and with a September 20th release date set, and a TIFF premiere very likely, things are moving fast on this one. If you’re unfamiliar with the project, check out the plot summary below.
In the rural New England town of Brockton, Massachusetts, neighbors and friends the Dovers and the Birches gather for Thanksgiving dinner, but by the end of the night, their celebration turns to panic when the families’ two youngest daughters go missing. As the hours pass and the girls don’t turn up, it becomes terrifyingly apparent they’ve been kidnapped. After the cops fail to find them, Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) decides to take the law into his own hands, running up against dedicated Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal). But even as Loki is diligently working against the clock to solve the case, Keller will stop at nothing to get their prime suspect to talk before it’s too late.
Given the cast, director and plot of this film, things are looking extremely positive. Now that Deakins has joined though, things just got even better. Whether it’s Skyfall, No Country For Old Men, The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, Fargo, True Grit or any of the other films that Deakins has worked on, the involvement of someone like him means that you’re going to get a beautiful looking film. Couple that with the other talent on board here, and I think Prisoners has the potential to be something truly special.
Deakins is one of the best in the industry and to see him joining an already promising film like Prisoners is something that has us very, very excited.
