Pat Scola will be the director of photography for the new "X-Men" from Marvel Studios. He listed the film in his filmography on his official website, thereby confirming his participation in the project.
Scola worked on all three feature films by director Michael Sarnoski: "Pig," "A Quiet Place: Day One," and "The Death of Robin Hood." He also shot the prison drama "Sing Sing," which received three Oscar nominations.
In his works, Scola often uses natural lighting and avoids an overly polished image. For example, "Sing Sing" was shot on 16mm film with old lenses to achieve a rougher and more vibrant texture. How this approach will look in a superhero blockbuster is yet unknown.
For Marvel Studios, such a choice of cinematographer is not new. The first and second "Iron Man" films were shot by Matthew Libatique, who previously worked with Darren Aronofsky on "Pi," "Requiem for a Dream," and "The Fountain." The director of the new "X-Men," Jake Schreier, in turn, brought in Andrew Droz Palermo, known for the intimate "A Ghost Story" and "The Green Knight," to work on "Thunderbolts."
The new "X-Men" will be the first standalone film about the team created by Marvel Studios after Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox. The film is scheduled to premiere on May 5, 2028.