Joaquin Phoenix has a history of abruptly leaving film projects at the last minute, such as “The Joker” in 2019, “C’mon C’mon” in 2021, and “Napoleon” in 2023. Despite these departures, the movies eventually got made. Recently, Phoenix walked away from an untitled Todd Haynes project scheduled to start filming in Guadalajara, Mexico on August 9. The production was already set up, with crews waiting for Phoenix’s arrival. Since then, rumors have been circulating about efforts to save the movie, including talks of recasting Phoenix’s role. Pedro Pascal has been mentioned as a possible replacement, but his schedule is full until the end of the year due to commitments for “Fantastic Four” and “The Mandalorian.” Additionally, Danny Ramirez had already been cast as Phoenix’s love interest in the film. Sources tell THR that having two Latino actors in the roles doesn’t make sense. There are also whispers that Haynes’ producers might sue Phoenix to recover costs, estimated to be several million dollars. It remains unclear if this will persuade Phoenix to return to the set, as he received a substantial paycheck for the “Joker” sequel and money is not believed to be an issue for him these days. Given Phoenix’s history of sudden departures and the fact that the project seems to have encountered numerous obstacles, it appears that this love story may unfortunately never come to fruition.
