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In 2019, Joaquin Phoenix had taken the entire world by storm when he showed up as the iconic Batman villain inJoker.And now, he was supposed to star in a gay romance film alongside Danny Ramirez. While everything was going well and good, Joaquin Phoenix ended up dropping out of the film just five days before it was to start filming.
The film was all set to be directed by Todd Haynes with Joaquin Phoenix in the lead role. The actor also wrote the screenplay for the untitled romance alongside the director and Jon Raymond. Now the film has come to an abrupt stop and it might end up costing Joaquin Phoenix a hefty sum of money.
Joaquin Phoenix Walks out of Todd Haynes’ Film
The Hollywood Reporterconfirmed on August 09 thatJoaquin Phoenixhad walked out ofTodd Hayne’s gay romance film a mere five days before filming was to start.
Produced by Killer Films, the film was going to be an intense gay romance set in the 1930s and would have paired Phoenix withTop Gun: Maverick’sDanny Ramirez. While some sources toldVarietythat the actor was getting“Cold feet,”an insider did not dispute the report while talking to THR. Meaning, there is a good chance that Phoenix exited the film for this very reason.
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This isn’t the first time Phoenix has pulled off a stunt like this. He tried to walk out ofJoker, C’mon C’mon,andNapolean.However, he ultimately ended up settling down and giving in.
The Hollywood Reporter has shed light on the Todd Haynes movie that Joaquin Phoenix left five days before filming:
– Pedro Pascal’s name was suggested as a replacement, but his schedule is packed with ‘THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS’ and ‘THE MANDALORIAN & GROGU’.
– Pascal…pic.twitter.com/Lp3kv4sppF
— The Streamr (@The_Streamr)June 21, 2025
The film’s producer, Christine Vachon, confirmed Phoenix’s exit on her Facebook page stating,“A version of this did happen. It has been a nightmare.”Before people could blame the production for hiring a straight actor in an intense homosexual role, Vachon made it quite clear that this film was Phoenix’s idea.
She wrote, (viaPEOPLE),
And PLEASE — if you are tempted to finger wag or admonish us that “that’s what you get for casting a straight actor” –DON’T. This was HIS project that he brought to US– and Killer’s record on working with LGBTQ actors/crew/directors speaks for itself. (and for those of you who HAVE– know that you are making a terrible situation even worse).
While Phoenix has officially dropped out of the movie, the mess is far from over for the actor as he might be looking at a lawsuit against himself soon.
Joaquin Phoenix to be Sued by the Producers?
Since the actor chose to walk away at such a crucial time, after so much money had gone into the project, it became impossible to recast the role in such a short amount of time.
According to THR, desperate attempts were being made at the last moment to save the film with the team bouncingPedro Pascal’s name around to replace Phoenix. However, his schedule is jam-packed until the end of 2024 thanks toFantastic FourandThe Mandalorian.Another factor that doesn’t allow Pascal to take over the role is the fact that Ramirez was already cast as the love interest.
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The film was set around a love affair between a corrupt cop and a non-white male. Thus, as one talent rep confided in THR,“Having two Latinos in the roles doesn’t make a lot of sense.”Thus, as stated byDeadline, production of Haynes’ film is not paused, but dead.
A lot of money had gone into the untitled film. While the exact number hasn’t been revealed, the source told THR that the amount was in the low seven figures. to cover the lost costs, Haynes’ producers are looking to hit Phoenix with a lawsuit, the publication house hears. Of course, if this does end up happening, the actor wouldn’t sweat too much about it.
After all, he is getting paid a whopping twenty-five million forJoker’s sequel,Joker: Folie à Deux.It looks like Haynes’ film got the short end of the stick.
Joker: Folie à Deuxwill be released in theatres on June 02, 2025.
Mishkaat Khan
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2256
A connoisseur of all things horror, fantasy, and the occasional chick flick, Mishkaat has been penning pieces for FandomWire since 2022. She started off as an intern and has worked her way up to a Senior Writer with over 2000 articles to her name.Outside of entertainment, she has also written well-researched medical content as a freelance writer and has experience in social media management.When not writing, you can find her relaxing with a romance novel and a tall glass of iced coffee in her hand or watching re-runs of ‘Supernatural’ and ‘The Office.’
