One of the producers on the new Todd Haynes film which has fallen apart on the eve of production, on reports that Joaquin Phoenix abandoned the project. The fallout begins.
In pretty shocking news, a report on Friday made the world aware that Todd Haynes’ latest film had – just five days out from production – completely fallen apart.
Sets had been built, crew had completed plenty of work that needed to be paid for and then, Joaquin Phoenix – the film’s star – reportedly dropped out. The film was set to be a 1930s gay detective noir film and would have been Haynes’ follow-up to last year’s critically-acclaimed May/December.
It’s a bizarre situation given that at this late stage, differences in creative visions (if that is indeed the reason behind Phoenix’s exit) are either ironed out or simply accepted, if not for the sake of the production then because of a fear for the lawsuits. Those that will surely now begin to fly as creditors seek to recoup their outlay by determining who will bear the legal blame for the incident.
Christine Vachon is a producer on the film, having worked with Todd Haynes since the 1990s. She’s released a short statement on the matter, seemingly addressing the speculation that Phoenix may have dropped out due to a reluctance to do the film’s graphic sex scenes. Vachon confirmed previous reportage on the subject, stating that Phoenix came to Haynes with the idea and that it was the actor pushing to make the sex scenes more graphic.
“f you are tempted to finger wag or admonish us that ‘that’s what you get for casting a straight actor [in a gay role]’ – DON’T. This was HIS project that he brought to US,’ Vachon wrote on social media.
There seems little point in speculating over the reasons for Phoenix’s abrupt departure, and stories will emerge at some point from both camps, we’re sure. More pressing are the questions regarding the fallout of the film’s collapse. What damage might this do to Phoenix’s career? How will Killer Films, the production company behind the film fare? Will all those people who worked on the project get paid?
Vachon also called the situation a ‘nightmare’ on social media and she certainly won’t be the only one feeling that way. In one way or another, people are going to lose out from this sorry situation and the ramifications could continue for a long time to come. We’ll bring you more as we hear it.
