Cinematographer Roger Deakins Will Not Return For Bond 24

It is hard to imagine what modern cinema would look like without Roger Deakins. The cinematographer of many of the finest films of this generation, including The Shawshank Redemption and No Country for Old Men, Deakins is one of the most championed creative minds in the industry. His crisp photography, spare and striking without too much embellishment, earned Skyfall a Best Cinematography Oscar nomination. To put things in perspective, the spy sequel was Deakins’ tenth Academy Award nomination. So that makes it all the more sad to hear that Deakins will not reprise his role as cinematographer on Bond 24, due out on November 6, 2015.

In Contention journalist Kristopher Tapley tweeted today that:

At dinner with Deakins last night I learned some news that makes me sad: He won’t be shooting the next Bond.

Tapley didn’t elaborate, but hopefully director Sam Mendes’ loss is another filmmaker’s gain. I can only hope this news does not mean the 64-year-old cinematographer, who recently wrapped the WWII drama Unbroken for director Angelina Jolie, is eying retirement.

However, if he is, hopefully he’ll have time for a few more projects. Personally, I feel that it would be great if he had one more chance to work with the Coen Brothers (his longtime collaborators), given that his commitment to Skyfall interfered with the production of their latest film, Inside Llewyn Davis.

It would also be a shame if Roger Deakins ends up without an Oscar for his incredible achievements in cinematography. Beginning in 1995 with The Shawshank Redemption, Deakins has been nominated 11 times for Best Cinematography but has never won. His luck is not likely to change on March 2 either, despite his fine work on Prisoners. Emmanuel Lubezki seems to have that category tied up for his exceptional work on Gravity, which will hopefully put a stop to Lubezki’s own slump of six nominations and no wins.

Sam Mendes, returning as director for Bond 24, will likely announce a new cinematographer for the spy film sometime within the next few months. Daniel Craig is on board for this and one more Bond film to play the suave secret agent, and Skyfall screenwriter John Logan will also be penning the script.

Who would you like to see replace Roger Deakins as the cinematographer of Bond 24? Let us know.