Joaquin Phoenix abruptly exits gay romance film after allegedly getting “cold feet”

Joaquin Phoenix has reportedly dropped out of Todd Haynes’ upcoming untitled gay romance just days before filming was scheduled to begin in Guadalajara, Mexico.

The 49-year-old joker The star was set to play the lead role in the new detective love story, for which he also wrote the screenplay together with Haynes and Jon Raymond.

However, five days before filming was scheduled to begin, Phoenix decided at the last minute to drop out of the film because he got “cold feet,” a source said. diversity.

When he gave up on the project in early July, entire sets had apparently already been built.

The Independent has contacted representatives for Phoenix and Haynes for comment.

The film, produced by Killer Films and supported by sales agent MK2 Film, had already been sold to international distributors. diversity It goes on to say that the actor’s role cannot be recast, leaving the crew out of work and investors unpaid, meaning losses could exceed seven figures.

In July Top Shooter: Maverick Actor Danny Ramirez signed on to play Phoenix’s lover.

Director Haynes, known for his queer films, including the Oscar-nominated Carol (2015) and last year’s May Decemberannounced the project for the first time in an interview with diversity. He described it as “a love story between two men in the 1930s with explicitly sexual content.”

Haynes added that the film – which would receive an NC-17 rating (the highest MPA rating for films containing material inappropriate for children under 17) – would depict a relationship that would “challenge” audiences.

“(Phoenix) had fragments of ideas and then I started formulating them into an actual narrative,” Haynes told the outlet, adding that “Joaquin continued to push it sexually into more dangerous territory.”

Phoenix will next return in his Oscar-winning title role as Joker/Arthur Fleck, while Gaga will make her debut as Lee/Harley Quinn in Joker: Foil a Deux, the musical sequel to Todd Phillips’ 2019 film, Joker.

The first film followed the mental decline of Arthur, an aspiring comedian and clown, after he is socially and romantically rejected, which creates his violent Joker persona and makes him a cult hero. Phoenix won the Oscar for his performance and the film grossed more than a billion dollars at the box office, becoming the most profitable R-rated film of all time.

The sequel will be released on October 4, 2024 – the fifth anniversary of the release of the original film.