Todd Haynes‘ untitled detective movie about two men in love and fleeing to Mexico is now on hold after star and co-writer Joaquin Phoenix pulled out of the project days before production began.
Phoenix developed the screenplay for the intense gay romance with Haynes and Jon Raymond, a frequent collaborator of Haynes’ friend Kelly Reichardt (“Wendy and Lucy”). Raymond co-wrote the teleplay for Haynes’ HBO miniseries “Mildred Pierce.”
Sources tell IndieWire that Phoenix, who was set to star in the explicit gay love story, dropped out of the Killer Films production five days before filming was set to start in Guadalajara, near the Southwestern coast of Mexico in the state of Jalisco. Phoenix dropped out of the project while in Los Angeles before the Mexico shoot began.
Haynes assembled a crew in Mexico for the untitled film backed by sales agent MK2 Films. Sales in territories worldwide began ahead of the European Film Market in February. The project fell apart in early July.
Sources said financing hinged on Phoenix’s casting in a likely NC-17-rated period piece set in the 1930s. “Joaquin was pushing me further and going ‘No, let’s go further.’ This will be an NC-17 film,” Haynes told IndieWire last year at Cannes.
During his press tour for Haynes’ 2023 Netflix film “May December, the director told IndieWire that Phoenix was the film’s driving force.
“The whole experience was prompted by Joaquin,” he said. “It was prompted by his daring, his desire to push through barriers and to really get into the uncomfortable places about this relationship. And yet it felt like a very organic process.”
IndieWire has reached out to reps for Joaquin Phoenix and Killer Films. Reps for Killer Films had no comment at this time.
Haynes has been clear about wanting the film to be as graphic as possible in terms of its gay sex scenes. The untitled film would have marked Phoenix’s first gay onscreen role.
An actor pulling out of a movie five days before shooting leaves a lot of people on the hook. According to an inside source with knowledge of the film’s finances, multiple stakeholders on the Haynes project — from financiers to crew — still need to be compensated. “Top Gun: Maverick” star Danny Ramirez joined the cast in July as Phoenix’s love interest, right before shooting was set to begin.
Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler’s Killer Films has produced all of Haynes’ movies. Phoenix is not expected to return to the project, according to IndieWire’s sources, and Killer Films is not yet looking to replace him. For now, the focus is on cutting checks for the people who invested their time in the project.
IndieWire also hears that Haynes will now focus on directing the limited series “Trust,” an adaptation of Hernan Diaz’s novel about upper-class financial ruin in the 20th century, with his “Mildred Pierce” star Kate Winslet and also at HBO. Haynes will write the series with Jon Raymond.
Phoenix most recently starred in Ari Aster’s Western comedy “Eddington.” Shot in New Mexico, it wrapped in May.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story said Joaquin Phoenix was on location in Mexico when he dropped out of Todd Haynes’ movie. IndieWire understands Phoenix was in Los Angeles at the time.
