Pedro Pascal at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Photo: Gabriel Hutchinson Photography, via Wikimedia Commons
After Joaquin Phoenix abruptly departed Todd Haynes’s gay romance film, the project, now titled De Noche, is getting a second chance with Pedro Pascal in talks to take over the lead role.
Phoenix’s exit in August 2024, just five days before filming was set to begin, caused the entire production to be shut down.
The departure was reportedly due to “cold feet,” despite the fact that Phoenix had initially brought the concept to Haynes and co-developed the screenplay. He had even been an advocate for the film’s explicit, NC-17-rated sexual content.
The film, which co-stars Danny Ramirez, is a 1930s-set love story about a corrupt cop and his younger lover who flee from Los Angeles to Mexico.
The plan is now to revive the production in Guadalajara, Mexico, with an eye toward a start date in the new year. Pascal’s potential involvement is seen as a major boost for the project, as his star power could help secure the necessary financing.
The actor and director have a recent connection, as Pascal starred alongside Phoenix in Ari Aster‘s film Eddington. Pascal has also had a very busy year with starring roles in Fantastic Four: The First Steps and Materialists.
