Joaquin Phoenix’s producer for gay romance calls his abrupt exit from film a ‘nightmare’ – but defends ‘casting a straight actor’

The producer of Joaquin Phoenix’s gay romance spoke out after the actor dropped out of the film.

Killer Films’ Christine Vachon confirmed on Facebook on Friday that the Oscar winner had abruptly dropped out of the Todd Haynes-directed project, just five days before filming was set to begin in Mexico.

“A version of this actually happened, it was a nightmare,” Vanchon wrote in a now-deleted post, per People.

Vachon, who has worked with Haynes since his 1991 debut Poison, also defended Killer Films’ decision to cast the straight Phoenix in a gay role, stressing that the entire project was reportedly helmed by Phoenix himself.

“And PLEASE — if you’re inclined to point fingers or admonish us that ‘that’s what you get when you cast a straight actor’ — DON’T,” she continued. “This was HIS project he brought to the US — and Killer’s track record of working with LGBTQ actors/crew/directors speaks for itself. (and for those of you who DO — know that you are making a terrible situation worse).”

The 49-year-old Joker star and 31-year-old Top Gun: Maverick actor Danny Ramirez were set to play 1930s lovers in Haynes’ as-yet-untitled film. The film was said to feature “explicit sexual content,” but losses on the film could now be over 100 percent after Phoenix’s sudden departure.

Phoenix developed the script for the detective story with Haynes and Jon Raymond. According to a source, the actor was wary of the project because of rumors that he was uncomfortable with the explicit sex scenes in the film.

The film would receive an NC-17 rating and show a relationship that would “challenge” the audience.

According to reports, entire sets had already been built in Guadalajara before Phoenix disappeared from the film.

The crew reportedly speculated that Phoenix’s departure was related to the steamy scenes – per Variety – although other sources contradict this, as Phoenix initially brought the project to Haynes.

Haynes told Variety in September 2023 that Phoenix began writing the film with “fragments of ideas,” adding, “It was just a great, organic way to do the script, really. And Joaquin pushed it further into more dangerous territory, sexually.”

The film, produced by Killer Films and backed by MK2 Film, was dependent on Phoenix’s casting and already had international distributors.

Sources now say Phoenix’s role cannot be re-filled, the crew is out of work and stakeholders still need to be paid.

DailyMail.com has contacted representatives for Phoenix and Haynes for comment.

Phoenix will soon be seen in Folie à Deux, the sequel to Joker, opposite Lady Gaga. The film is released on October 4.

Joker: Folie À Deux is the highly anticipated sequel to the 2019 Academy Award-winning Joker, which grossed over $1 billion worldwide and remains the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time.

In the new film, Phoenix reprises his Oscar-winning dual role as Arthur Fleck/Joker, opposite Oscar winner Gaga (A Star Is Born).

Joker: Folie À Deux finds Arthur Fleck in an Arkham asylum, awaiting trial for his crimes as the Joker.

“As Arthur struggles with his dual identity, he not only finds true love, but also the music that has always been inside him,” a press release reads.

Phillips directed the film from a screenplay by fellow Oscar nominees Scott Silver and Phillips, based on characters from DC.

The film was produced by Phillips, Oscar nominee Emma Tillinger Koskoff and Joseph Garner.

Lady Gaga served as a music consultant.

Joaquin and Rooney quietly welcomed their first child, son River, in August 2020. Mara confirmed in February that she was expecting a second child.

Mark Wahlberg turned down the chance to star in Brokeback Mountain because he found it “creepy” that the storyline involved same-sex couples.

Wahlberg, now 53 years old and best known for roles in The Departed and The Transformers, could have played the lead role in the 2005 Ang Lee film. It became one of the most successful LGBTQ+ films in history and earned him three Oscars.

However, Wahlberg admitted that he was uncomfortable with the “graphic, descriptive” nature of the script, which tells the story of two American cowboys who become gay lovers. The roles were eventually played by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal.

In a 2007 interview, Wahlberg said the film’s first sex scene between cowboys Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist convinced him that the film “wasn’t his deal,”

He said, ‘I met Ang Lee in that movie, I read 15 pages of the script and it gave me a bit of the creeps.

Wahlberg added: “The spitting on the hand, the getting ready to do it.”

‘It was clearly a matter of taste, just look at how it was received.’

The National Enquirer reported at the time that Wahlberg’s Catholic priest had advised him to drop the project.

Before Lee — who would win the Oscar for Best Director for the film — took on the project, My Own Private Idaho filmmaker Gus Van Sant was approached to direct the film. He said that numerous A-list stars had been offered the project, but had turned them down.

He told IndieWire in 2018, “Nobody wanted to do it. I was working on it and I felt like we needed a really strong cast, like a celebrity cast. That didn’t work. I asked the usual suspects: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Ryan Phillippe. They all said no.

‘Yes, all those young gentlemen rejected the project at the time, for various reasons.’

The film was critically acclaimed and received eight Oscar nominations, including Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor for Gyllenhaal and Ledger.

The film won awards for Best Director, Best Original Score and Best Adapted Screenplay.