We were devastated when we exclusively reported just over a year ago that Joaquin Phoenix had exited a gay romance meant to be directed by Todd Haynes just days before it was to begin production. The project collapsed and seemed to be permanently shelved, but Deadline now reports that the project is hoping to be revived, this time with Pedro Pascal in the lead role.
No deals for Pascal are made, and the producers would have to work around a busy schedule for Pascal that includes two “Avengers” movies, but the hope is for the film to shoot in Guadalajara, Mexico in early 2026.
The project also now has a title, “De Noche,” and Danny Ramirez, the “Top Gun: Maverick” actor who was originally attached to star in the version alongside Phoenix, is also expected to return.
Related Stories
Reps for the film’s producer Killer Films and for Pascal did not respond to a request for comment.
IndieWire reported last August that the film was likely meant to be an explicit, homosexual love story, potentially with an NC-17 rating, that would be set in the 1930s. The film had financing and international sales in place that hinged on Phoenix’s involvement, but his exit forced the hands of producers.
Why Phoenix exited is still something of a mystery, and at Venice this time last year while promoting “Joker: Folie a Deux,” he declined to comment and said that if he were to answer and share his opinion without the other creatives to give their perspective, “it just doesn’t feel like that would be right. I am not sure how that would be helpful. I don’t think I will.”
His exit was especially shocking considering that Phoenix had worked to develop the script from writer Jon Raymond and brought it specifically to producer Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler’s Killer Films banner. Vachon called the situation a “tragedy” but said there was no particular gossip to share. Haynes too said in December he was hopeful the film could be resurrected in another form.
“The most tragic part about it, in my mind, is Todd Haynes is 62,” Vachon said at the time. “He’s not old but there’s a finite number of films that he will be able to do in his lifetime. I consider him one of the most extraordinary film artists of his generation. The idea that his time was wasted and that a movie is not a result of those years of working closely with Joaquin, that is the tragedy to me and that I can’t get over.”
Vachon has worked with Haynes dating back to his directorial debut “Poison” way back in 1991, and she’s been behind some of his other classics, including “Safe,” “Velvet Goldmine,” “Far From Heaven,” “I’m Not There,” and “Carol.” Haynes last directed 2023’s “May December.”
Pascal this year has been as busy and in-demand as any actor in Hollywood, starring in Celine Song’s “Materialists,” Ari Aster’s “Eddington,” the Marvel film “Fantastic Four: First Steps,” and leading the second season of “The Last of Us” for HBO. He’ll next be seen in the “Star Wars” spinoff film of his hit series “The Mandalorian,” titled “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” arriving May 22, 2026.
Deadline first reported the news.
