After nearly four months of silence, Todd Haynes finally spoke about his scrapped movie with Joaquin Phoenix.
The story took Hollywood media by storm in early August: just five days before shooting, Phoenix abruptly left the project he and Haynes had developed for years. The reason? Sources told Variety at the time it was “cold feet,” and Phoenix refused to follow up about the situation during a Venice Film Festival Q&A. But Haynes remained silent about the situation, with his longtime producer Christine Vachon speaking on his behalf, until now.
So what did Haynes have to say? Evidently, not much, but it’s a classy response, as one would expect from the veteran filmmaker. Variety reports that Haynes spoke about the situation during a conversation at the Marrakech Film Festival today. “What happened this summer was tough,” Haynes told the moderate. “But the film itself and the script itself may resurrect in a different form someday.”
Haynes fans hope so, as the director usually takes anywhere from two to eight years between projects, and his latest, “May December,” was only released last year. The film fell apart after Phoenix’s departure starred the actor and Danny Ramirez as a corrupt cop and his younger lover who flee from 1930s LA for Mexico in search of romantic idyll. Ironically, Phoenix first coined the idea, bringing it to Vachon’s Killer Films banner before developing a screenplay for it with Haynes and Jon Raymond. But now, after years of work together, it looks like the project is done for good; or at least Phoenix’s involvement with it.
Since news broke about Phoenix’s sudden exit, several other stories have emerged about the actor’s penchant for last-minute anxiety. But his project was Haynes is the worst example by far. Phoenix left the film just days before shooting started, with sets already built in Guadalajara. The result? A waste of time for all involved, with the actor still avoiding accountability.
As noted earlier, the closest Pheonix has come to discussing the matter came at a Venice press conference, where the actor declined to explain himself. The reason? It wouldn’t be “helpful” because “the other creatives aren’t here to say their peace, and it just doesn’t feel like that would be right.” But other creatives have made their perspective clear since them. Would-be co-star Ramirez remarked that the situation is “definitely disappointing,” while Vachon defended Haynes at the San Sebastian Film Festival in September. “The idea that [Todd’s] time was wasted and that a movie is not a result of those years of working closely with Joaquin… That is the tragedy to me,” said the producer. “And that I can’t get over… that is just criminal.”
But while it’s a sorry situation, Haynes’ comment indicates that the project may not be entirely dead. But if he does resurrect it, it’ll likely be after Haynes serves as Jury President at the 75th Berlinale next February. As for Phoenix, his next feature is Ari Aster‘s “Eddington,” which hits theaters next year courtesy of A24.
