If you read Collider regularly, you know we’re big fans of cinematographers over here, so it’s with a significant degree of excitement that we now have word on who may be shooting two of the most highly anticipated films currently in development. First and foremost, Bond 25. When Danny Boyle was attached to helm the next Bond movie, the prospect of his longtime DP Anthony Dod Mantle shooting a Bond film was supremely exciting. Alas, that wasn’t meant to be, but current director Cary Joji Fukunaga has a great cinematographer of his own on tap.

Variety’s Kristopher Tapley reports that Oscar-winning La La Land and First Man cinematographer Linus Sandgren is in line to shoot Bond 25, marking his first collaboration with Fukunaga and his first major franchise film. Indeed, Sandgren gained significant prominence back in 2013 for shooting David O. Russell’s American Hustle, then went on to bring his tactile touch to films like Joy and Battle of the Sexes. He most recently reunited with director Damien Chazelle on First Man, for which they chose an ambitiously intimate approach to the camerawork.

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Image via Lionsgate

Sandgren has big shoes to fill, as Sam MendesSkyfall was shot by the master himself Roger Deakins and Mendes’ follow-up Spectre brought in Hoyte van Hoytema, who’s certainly no slouch himself. It’ll be interesting to see what Sandgren and Fukunaga put together, assuming this pans out. Fukunaga doesn't exactly have a mainstay DP. His Netflix series Maniac was shot by Darren Lew, and he served as his own cinematographer on the film Beasts of No Nation. The Bond 25 script is still in development, but shooting is scheduled to begin on March 4, 2019 in anticipation of a February 14, 2020 release date.

And in other exciting cinematographer news, filmmaker Denis Villeneuve will continue his streak of working with incredible DPs on his ambitious sci-fi adaptation Dune. Tapley again reports that Oscar-nominated Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Zero Dark Thirty cinematographer Greig Fraser is in line to handle DP duties on Dune. Fraser most recently shot Adam McKay’s ambitious Vice and is currently in the midst of shooting Disney’s live-action Star Wars series The Mandalorian, but it appears he’ll be behind the camera for Villeneuve when Dune starts production next year.

Villeneuve struck up a fruitful collaboration with Roger Deakins on Prisoners that continued with Sicario and Blade Runner 2049, the latter of which finally won Deakins that elusive Best Cinematography Oscar. It’s unclear if Villeneuve went to Deakins first, but the legendary DP is attached to reunite with Sam Mendes on the World War I film 1917, so perhaps scheduling conflicts prevented his involvement with Dune.

Regardless, Fraser is a fantastic choice. He’s done some incredible work on films like Foxcatcher and Lion, not to mention Vice, and I’m mighty excited to see what a collaboration with Villeneuve looks like. Dune doesn’t currently have a release date, but the sci-fi film has Timothée Chalamet and Rebecca Ferguson attached to star.

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Image via Disney