One of the great things about Skyfall (and there are many) is the phenomenal cinematography by Roger Deakins.  Obviously Deakins always turns in fantastic work, but his collaboration with director Sam Mendes on the James Bond pic was jaw-droppingly gorgeous—which makes the news that Deakins won’t be returning for Bond 24 that much more disappointing.  After some wavering, Mendes and Skyfall screenwriter John Logan agreed to direct and write the next Bond film, respectively, but In Contention’s Kris Tapley took to Twitter today to break the sad news that Deakins will not be back as cinematographer.  Hit the jump for more.

Tapley gives no reason for Deakins not returning for Bond 24, but one imagines scheduling is the likeliest culprit as Deakins is, deservingly, one of the most in-demand talents in the film industry.  The cinematographer’s commitment to Skyfall prevented him from shooting Inside Llewn Davis for longtime collaborators The Coen Brothers, so maybe they’ve already snatched him up for their next project?  I'm reaching for a silver lining here.  After Skyfall, Deakins handled the photography for last fall’s Prisoners and he just finished shooting Angelina Jolie’s next directorial effort Unbroken, which finds the cinematographer capturing World War II POW camps in Japan.

As for the Skyfall follow-up, little is known about Bond 24 at this point besides the fact that Daniel Craig will obviously return to star and Mendes faces incredibly high expectations following his stellar 2012 entry in the franchise.  Who do you think should replace Deakins on the project?  Sound off in the comments below after marveling at the tremendous work Deakins did on Skyfall.  The 24th James Bond film will open in the U.K. on October 24, 2015 and in the U.S. on November 6, 2015.