UPDATE: Deadline is reporting that the film is no longer happening. There are no plans to recast Phoenix’s role. No further details are currently known as to why Phoenix decided to suddenly leave the project. Entire sets had been built, the crew is now out of work, and stakeholders in the film still need to be paid. Losses could exceed seven figures.
UPDATE: Sources confirm to IndieWire that Phoenix has dropped out of the production five days before filming was set to start in Mexico. Phoenix was already on location at the time. To make matters worse, sources said financing “hinged on Phoenix’s casting.”
EARLIER: The Playlist’s Rodrigo Perez is reporting that the ever unpredictable Joaquin Phoenix might have dropped out of Todd Haynes' gay detective movie at the last minute, leaving the cast and crew in chaos. Apparently, Phoenix was meant to board a plane to the Mexico set but didn’t and called Haynes to tell him that he was backing out of the project.
Haynes and company don’t want production to shut down so they’re trying to find a replacement, but it’s become a major headache for them. The film was supposed to start filming next week in Mexico.
The untitled project is supposed to star Phoenix and is being described as “a love story between two men” set in the 1930s. Haynes wrote the story with writer Jon Raymond and Phoenix shares a story credit.
Haynes has mentioned that, while brainstorming the project, Phoenix kept pushing him and going “no, let’s go further with the sex.” Haynes confirmed this would be an NC-17 rated film. It’s obvious that, with this project, and based on their own comments, Haynes and Phoenix were trying to make a very provocative film here.
This wouldn’t be the first time Phoenix has decided to exit a project at the very last minute — he did the same thing on “Joker” and “C’mon C’mon” before the filmmakers convinced him to come back— but Perez says the Haynes fiasco is “different.” Phoenix is dead serious about not coming back. Crews might be out of work soon if Phoenix doesn’t recommit.
The plan was for Phoenix to shoot Haynes’ film in Mexico and then head to the Venice Film Festival on September 4 for the premiere of “Joker: Folie a Deux.”