Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix's sudden departure from filmmaker Todd Haynes' upcoming film has led to the project's cancellation.
According to American news outlet Variety, Phoenix dropped out of the gay drama film, about two men in love and fleeing to Mexico, just five days before filming was set to begin in Guadalajara.
A source close to the production told the outlet that the "Joker" actor got "cold feet" over the project, for which he had developed the screenplay with Haynes and Jon Raymond.
Phoenix was scheduled to co-star with "Top Gun: Maverick" actor Danny Ramirez in the 1930s-set love story featuring "explicit sexual content." The film was intended to receive an NC-17 rating due to its graphic sex scenes.
The role will not be recast for the movie.
During the press tour for his 2023 Netflix film "May December", director Todd Haynes told IndieWire that Phoenix was the driving force behind the project.
"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," the filmmaker had said.
Phoenix, 49, will next feature in "Joker: Folie a Deux", the sequel to his 2019 movie "Joker", which had earned him a maiden Oscar trophy for best actor.
Also starring Lady Gaga, the movie is directed by Todd Phillips and will be released worldwide in October this year.
