Joaquin Phoenix dropped out of an upcoming film just days before filming was scheduled to begin; production has since been halted.
The untitled film, whose screenplay Phoenix co-wrote with directors Todd Haynes and Jon Raymond, was supposed to tell the story of two men (Phoenix and Danny Ramirez) who fall in love in the 1930s, and is said to have contained some explicit scenes.
The film in which the main couple leaves California and goes to Mexico will probably never see the light of day. IndieWire reported that Phoenix dropped out of the project last month, just five days before filming was scheduled to begin in Guadalajara.
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Since development is already so advanced, Deadline has reported that the project is now on hold as there are no plans to recast Phoenix’s role and several crew members are unclear about their pay.
Haynes, who received recognition for Carol And Far from heavenhad already spoken about the doomed project last year and hinted (via IndieWire): “The next film is a feature film with an original screenplay that I developed together with Joaquin Phoenix based on some thoughts and ideas that he presented to me.
“We basically wrote with him as the storywriter. Me, Jon Raymond and Joaquin share the story. And we hope to start shooting early next year. It’s a gay love story set in LA in the 1930s. Joaquin kept pushing me and said, ‘No, let’s go further.’ This is going to be an NC-17 film.”
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In a later interview during the press tour for May DecemberHaynes explained that Phoenix was the driving force behind the film, saying, “The catalyst was his daring, his desire to break down barriers and really explore the uncomfortable side of this relationship. And yet it felt like a very organic process.”
Phoenix will soon be seen on the big screen alongside Lady Gaga, where he will reprise his Oscar-winning role as Arthur Fleck in Joker: Foil for Twothe sequel to the 2019 film by Todd Phillips.
Joker: Foil for Two The film is scheduled to be released in cinemas on October 4th. joker is available on Blu-ray or Streaming services Now.
Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer specialising in films and television. After graduating in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, where he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His taste in films ranges from blockbusters such as Mission: Impossible And John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda and has participated in both the London and Berlin film festivals.
