Joaquin Phoenix Reuniting with Mike Mills for Next Film, Shooting in January 2027

Not much is known about Mike Mills’s next film, which was originally eyeing a 2023 shoot. However, in January of this year, an update revealed that Mills had secured around $4M in California tax credits for the project, suggesting it will likely be another small-scale film from the filmmaker.

Then, a few months later, Mills confirmed plans to begin shooting his still-unannounced feature in the winter and that it will exist in the same creative territory as his last three films (“Beginners,” “20th Century Women,” and “C’mon C’mon”).

Now we have casting news. According to Production List, Joaquin Phoenix is set to reunite with Mills on this next film, which starts shooting on January 18, 2027. This will be Phoenix’s first film since deserting Todd Haynes’ “El Noche” as it was shooting last year.

Mills has said that his next film will continue exploring the parent-child dynamics that have been central to much of his previous work, but “a little rougher” and “more feral.”

As for who the cinematographer will be, Mills—who worked with a different DP on each of his last three films (Kasper Tuxen, Sean Porter, and Robbie Ryan)—confirmed that he will once again collaborate with a new cinematographer, although he did not disclose the person’s name.

There have been no plot details revealed, and the project has yet to be officially announced, but this has seemingly been given the greenlight by A24, and we’ll probably get more casting news in the coming weeks.

If you’ve seen “20th Century Women” or “Beginners,” you know Mills tends to make intimate, small-scale films about angst and familial dysfunction. His last feature, 2021’s well-reviewed “C’mon C’mon,” starring Phoenix and Woody Norman, was an ode to midlife anxieties and parenting. This next project will likely explore similar themes.