Credit: Warner Bros. Making a movie requires years of hard work and planning, and thousands of people have dedicated their lives to the project before it ever reaches the big screen. Some scripts take years to write, going through countless rewrites.
Then, there is finding the location, building necessary sets, casting, rehearsals, getting funding, and so much more. Each and every film is a passion project, and it can be devastating when that passion doesn’t come to fruition.
Related: Controversial LGBTQIA+ ‘Joker’ Movie Finally Comes to Theaters
What can make things particularly upsetting and frustrating is when the project falls apart after a lot of work has already been done. But rarely do things fall apart just days before filming is set to begin.
Sadly, that is what happened with Joker (2019) star Joaquin Phoenix’s newest film — and now the actor is being called out for his poor actions and decisions.
Related: ‘Joker 2’ Reveals How It’s Connected to Tim Burton’s ‘Batman’
According to reports, Phoenix was set to star in an untitled gay romance film, but dropped out just five days before filming was scheduled to begin in Mexico. Insiders who spoke to Variety said that the actor got “cold feet”.
Phoenix had developed the screenplay for the detective love story with [Todd] Haynes and Jon Raymond. A source close to the production tells Variety the actor got “cold feet.” Entire sets had been built in Guadalajara before Phoenix made the last-minute decision to exit the film.
Unfortunately, Phoenix’s decision did not just affect him. Now, dozens of people are out of work and scrambling to find a way to pay their bills. Not to mention the millions of dollars that are now lost.
Hinged on Phoenix’s casting, the movie, produced by Killer Films and backed by sales agent MK2 Film, had already sold to international distributors ahead of production. Sources tell Variety the project is in peril, indicating that Phoenix’s role cannot be recast. The crew is now out of work, and stakeholders in the film still need to be paid. Losses could exceed seven figures.
After the news broke, director and writer Todd Haynes was called out for casting a straight man to play a gay man. They said that this would not have happened if they didn’t rely on Joaquin Phoenix to play a role he clearly was not comfortable in.
Related: ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ Trailer Reveals Iconic ‘Batman’ Villain Has Been Recast
However, producer Christine Vachon defended Haynes and said that Phoenix’s role could not be recast because the Walk the Line (2005) star approached Haynes about the project in the first place.
“A version of this did happen. It has been a nightmare. And PLEASE — if you are tempted to finger wag or admonish us that “that’s what you get for casting a straight actor” –DON’T. This was HIS project that he brought to US– and Killer’s record on working with LGBTQ actors/crew/directors speaks for itself. (and for those of you who HAVE– know that you are making a terrible situation even worse).”
There were rumors among the crew that Phoenix became uncomfortable with the film’s graphic sex scenes. However, it should be pointed out that Phoenix reportedly wanted the film to push boundaries. He allegedly wanted the film to be rated NC-17, meaning that it was not appropriate for viewers under the age of 18.
“Joaquin was pushing me further and going ‘No, let’s go further.’ This will be an NC-17 film. 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.”
Despite Phoenix suddenly dropping out of this project, he still has many upcoming projects. His newest film, Joker: Folie à Deux, will be released on October 4 and will see the actor return to the role of Arthur Fleck, AKA The Joker. The film will also star singer and actress Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn.
In addition to Joker, Phoenix has three other films in various stages of production. Eddington is in post-production, while The Island and Polaris are both in pre-production.
Phoenix has not commented on his abandoned project.
Do you think it was right of Joaquin Phoenix to walk away from a project just days before filming? Let us know in the comments!