Joaquin Phoenix exits Todd Haynes gay drama five days before filming begins

The Oscar-winning actor Joaquin Phoenix has dropped out of a new gay drama, directed by Todd Haynes, just five days before filming was set to begin.

According to Indiewire, Variety and Deadline, the actor is alleged to have got “cold feet” and sources close to the film-makers have confirmed to the Guardian that the project is cancelled altogether with no plans to recast the role.

Phoenix was set to star opposite the Top Gun: Maverick actor Danny Ramirez in a 30s-set love story with “explicit sexual content”. The plan was for the film to carry the controversial NC-17 rating due to the sex scenes.

Last year Haynes, while promoting his Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore drama May December, said the film “challenges you with the sexual relationship” between the two men.

“What was so remarkable is that it all started with Joaquin having some ideas and some thoughts and just questions and images,” Haynes said to Variety. “And he came to me and said, “Does this connect to you at all?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, this is really interesting.’”

He added that Phoenix was the one “pushing it further into more dangerous territory, sexually”.

The film was set to be produced by Haynes’s long-time collaborator Christine Vachon. Reportedly crew members in Mexico are now waiting to be paid before the production is officially dead.

Haynes is now said to be focusing on an adaptation of Hernan Diaz’s Pulitzer prize-winning novel Trust for HBO. The project will be a reunion for Haynes and Kate Winslet, who previously starred in his 2011 miniseries adaptation of Mildred Pierce.

Phoenix, last seen in Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, recently finished another film with the Beau Is Afraid director, Ari Aster, called Eddington alongside Emma Stone. His much-anticipated Joker sequel is set to premiere at next month’s Venice film festival.

The Guardian has reached out to Haynes, Vachon and Phoenix’s representatives for comment.