Joaquin Phoenix Quits Movie Just Days Before Filming

Despite developing the screenplay, Joaquin Phoenix has backed out from Todd Haynes' upcoming gay romance film.

By Megan Behnke

Joaquin Phoenix is no longer attached to Todd Haynes' upcoming gay romance film. Variety confirms that the actor has dropped out of the flick just five days before filming was to begin in Mexico. He developed the screenplay with Haynes and Jon Raymond, which centered on a detective love story. A source close to production shared Phoenix had gotten "cold feet," but the reason for that feeling is unknown.

Produced by Killer Films, the movie was announced in May 2023 and was already sold to international distributors even prior to production starting. Unfortunately, sources reveal that Phoenix's role can't be recast, meaning that the crew will be out of work, with the film's stakeholders needing to be paid still with losses possibly exceeding "seven figures." Reportedly, Phoenix wanted to exit because of the graphic nature of the sex scenes, which contradicts other sources claiming that Phoenix initially brought the project and the NC-17 concept to Haynes.

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Danny Ramirez was announced as Joaquin Phoenix's love interest in July. It's unknown who else was part of the cast or why exactly Phoenix backed out of the film. In May 2023, Haynes told IndieWire, who initially broke the story of Phoenix dropping out of the film, that the actor was "pushing me further and going, 'No, let's go further. This will be an NC-17 film.'" Haynes seemed really passionate about the project, making the news all the more heartbreaking for him and the rest of the crew, who will now be out of work. While it is possible that the film could be made later down the line, it basically being scrapped with just a few days' notice is certainly not ideal.

Meanwhile, Phoenix is staying busy without the Todd Haynes film. On top of the highly-anticipated Joker: Folie á Deux in October, he is also working on Polaris, Eddington and The Island. It's a disappointment that the Haynes film is no longer included, and hopefully, the crew finds work and is compensated very soon. It did sound like an interesting film, and there are definitely other ways to get it off the ground if more time is needed. Phoenix can most recently be seen in the 2023 films Napoleon and Beau is Afraid.

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