Joaquin Phoenix abruptly exits Todd Haynes' gay romance movie 5 days before filming begins

There are no plans to recast the role, leaving the hired crew wondering how they will be paid.

In a surprising move to just about everyone involved in the project, Joaquin Phoenix abruptly walked away from starring in the untitled Todd Haynes film that he's been developing with the director for years just five days before filming commenced in Mexico, sources tell Entertainment Weekly.

Reps for Haynes and indie production company Killer Films declined to comment, while Phoenix's reps did not immediately respond to EW's requests for comment. IndieWire was the first to report the news.

Phoenix, who will be seen on screen this year in Joker: Folie à Deux, was set to star in the lead role of the movie, described as an explicit gay romance set in 1930s Los Angeles and Mexico. Danny Ramirez of Top Gun: Maverick and Captain America: Brave New World had been cast in a supporting role. Based on Haynes' previous comments to the press, the story revolved around a corrupt L.A. cop and a Native American who are forced to flee Los Angeles for Mexico.

Related: Todd Haynes gives some more details on his sexually 'explicit' gay period drama with Joaquin Phoenix

Pre-production began months ago. Crews were hired in Mexico, including Guadalajara, with more flying in to work on the three-month project. Then, around the time of San Diego Comic-Con in late July, Phoenix walked away without warning. There are currently no plans to recast the role, which means the project is indefinitely in limbo and the hired workers are stuck in a dicey situation as everyone figures out how they will be paid.

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There are virtually no details as to why the Oscar winner bowed out at the last minute. It's a project Phoenix brought to Haynes about two years ago, and they've been developing it together ever since. Jon Raymond, who co-wrote Haynes' HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce, worked on the script with both the director and Phoenix. MK2 Films served as the international sales agent out of France, though EW has learned financing for the movie was very much dependent on Phoenix's involvement.

Related: Joaquin Phoenix pushed Todd Haynes to 'go further' with their gay period romance so it's now NC-17

This film would have marked Phoenix's first gay role on screen. Haynes was open about making the sex scenes as explicit as possible. "Joaquin was pushing me further and going, 'No, let’s go further,'” the filmmaker told IndieWire in May 2023. “This will be an NC-17 film." He then told the same outlet later last year, "The whole experience was prompted by Joaquin. It was prompted by his daring, his desire to push through barriers and to really get into the uncomfortable places about this relationship. And yet it felt like a very organic process."

Haynes is now turning his focus to another project he's been developing for some time: an HBO limited series adaptation of Trust, the Hernan Diaz novel. Kate Winslet is set to star.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.