Emmanuel Lubezki Set As Cinematographer On David O. Russell’s New Film

After a four year absence, Emmanuel Lubezki is returning to the movies as the cinematographer for David O. Russell’s new movie [via Deadline]. There is still no title to Russell’s film, but the cast assembled is reason enough to get excited about as Christian Bale, Michael B. Jordan, and Margot Robbie are set to star. Plot-wise things are still remaining under wraps, but adding one of the great cinematographers is reason enough to have our curiosity piqued.

After winning three consecutive Oscars for Best Cinematography, thanks to his work on 2013’s “Gravity,” 2014’s “Birdman,” and 201’5’s “The Revenant,” the man they like to call “Chivo” has worked on only one movie, 2017’s “Song to Song,” in the last 6 years. However, Lubezki’s impact on the world of film is singular, especially his work with Alfonso Cuaron (“Y Tu Mama Tambien” and “Children of Men”) and Terrence Malick (“The New World,” and “The Tree of Life”).

Of course, as Lubezki was taking his break these past five years, plenty of cinematographers (and directors) have been influenced by and even tried to emulate the naturalistic style he popularized, especially in his Terrence Malick collaborations. Lubezki is best known for his, almost overwhelming, use of natural lighting and continuous uninterrupted shots (see here) via Steadicam and hand-held camera.

Production on Russell’s new movie is set to begin this spring. Russell has also been fairly quiet these last 5 years, having not released a feature film since “Joy” in 2015. Let’s not forget that successful bunch of films he directed between 2009 and 2013 (“The Fighter,” “Silver Linings Playbook,” and “American Hustle”).