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The Blade Runner sequel will be shot by one of the greatest cinematographers of all time

The Blade Runner sequel will be shot by one of the greatest cinematographers of all time

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The team behind the upcoming Blade Runner sequel have announced who will be shooting the film, and it's enough to get even the most jaded fan excited. Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Roger Deakins will be shooting the film for director Denis Villeneuve, marking the third collaboration between the two filmmakers (they also worked on Prisoners and Sicario, which just premiered at the Cannes Film Festival).

When people talk about the stunning visuals, textures, and look of the original Blade Runner, it's often director Ridley Scott and his meticulous attention to detail that get the credit — and while Scott's impact can't be overstated, it's the incredibly talented artists behind the scenes that helped craft that vision and make it a reality. In the original, legendary director of photography Jordan Cronenweth shot the film, imbuing it with the melancholy atmosphere and look that inspired a generation of sci-fi filmmakers.

Deakins is one of the most spectacular cinematographers to ever touch a camera

For the sequel we'll be getting Deakins, who is straight-up one of the most spectacular directors of photography to ever touch a camera. Going through Deakins' credits is basically like reading a list of The Most Beautiful Movies You've Ever Seen: Skyfall, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, The Shawshank Redemption, Dead Man Walking. There's also his extensive collaboration with Joel and Ethan Coen — Deakins shot Barton Fink, The Hudsucker Proxy, O Brother, Where Art Thou and a number of other films — as well as his gorgeous work in Angelina Jolie's Unbroken. Deakins has proven to be a forward-thinking technologist as well, adopting digital color timing well ahead of his contemporaries, and making the jump to shooting with digital cameras seamlessly without sacrificing beauty or image quality.

While there are still thousands of unanswered questions about the Blade Runner sequel — most importantly, Do we really need it? — the question of whether the movie will look stunning or not has been definitively answered. The film won't start shooting until the summer of 2016 so we'll have to wait to see how it all comes together, but in the meantime do yourself a favor: go to Deakins' IMDB page, find every movie you haven't seen, and start watching. Enjoy.


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