I did not expect Malik Hassan Sayeed to be the cinematographer on Luca Guadagnino’s “After the Hunt.” This might not have been news to some, but I thought Sayeed had retired from cinema. To this generation, he’s probably best known for his cinematography on Beyonce’s 65-minute “Lemonade.”
All this to say, according to Production Weekly, Guadagnino has again hired Sayeed for “Artificial,” which is supposed to start shooting next week. Of all the projects he’s had in development, this will be Guadagnino’s next film.
Sayeed is an incredibly gifted DP who hasn’t lensed a feature film in over 25 years. He was one of Spike Lee’s go-to DPs in the ‘90s having photographed “Clockers,” “Girl 6,” and “He Got Game.” He was also the second unit director of photography on Stanley Kubrick's “Eyes Wide Shut.”
“Artificial” is Guadagnino’s OpenAI origin story, tackling CEO Sam Altman’s abrupt ouster, and subsequent rehiring. The film, helmed by Amazon/MGM, stars Andrew Garfield, Monica Barbaro, and Yura Borisov. It’ll most likely be released in 2026.