Joaquin Phoenix reportedly ditches movie five days before start

Joaquin Phoenix has reportedly abandoned a controversial film from director Todd Haynes just five days before the shoot was about to start in Guadalajara, Mexico.

IndieWire was first to report the news, adding that Haynes previously described the project as an “explicit” love story between two men set in the ’30s.

Some crew claim that’s what caused the mercurial actor to drop out, though Haynes insisted to the publication in 2023 that Phoenix was well aware of the content. “Joaquin was pushing me further and going, ‘No, let’s go further.’ This will be an NC-17 film,” Haynes said.

“The whole experience was prompted by Joaquin,” he said at the time. “It was prompted by his daring, his desire to push through barriers and to really get into the uncomfortable places about this relationship.”

Variety confirmed the exit, reporting the crew had already built sets for the film Phoenix helped develop, but days before Haynes could call action he got “cold feet.”

The trade reported in July that Top Gun: Maverick star Danny Ramirez had joined the cast.

The publication says the last-minute exit could end up costing seven figures: Phoenix’s role can’t be recast and the movie was pre-sold internationally based on his name being attached to it, as is common in Hollywood dealmaking.