Todd Haynes' gay romance drama De Noche may see the light of day after all, with Fantastic Four's Pedro Pascal reportedly circling Joaquin Phoenix's former role.
According to Deadline, those behind the title are trying to "work around" the Marvel actor's busy schedule in the hopes of shooting in early 2026 in Guadalajara.
The film, which follows two men who fall in love in 1930s Los Angeles before setting a course for Mexico, actually kicked off principal photography in August 2024, but after two weeks of alleged on-set no-shows from Phoenix, the Joker star officially departed the project – and it looked to be derailed entirely. Captain America: Brave New World's Danny Ramirez, who is still attached, would've played Phoenix's romantic interest.
"Pretty much what happened is what's out there for you to read. I don't know any more than that. I would gossip if I had anything to gossip about," producer Christine Vachon explained at the San Sebastian Film Festival the following month, before noting that it was Phoenix who originally pitched De Noche to Killer Films, a production company known for championing LGBTQ+ fare.
"I consider [Todd Haynes] one of the most extraordinary film artists of his generation," Vachon, who has worked with the filmmaker on the likes of Far From Heaven, I'm Not There and Carol, continued. "The idea that his time was wasted and a movie is not the result of all that time working with Joaquin is a tragedy to me."
Whether or not Pascal actually winds up signing on to the project, cinemagoers will still see him share the screen with Ramirez in 2026, in upcoming Marvel flick Avengers: Doomsday. The former will return as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic as Earth's Mightiest Heroes take on Robert Downey Jr's Doctor Doom, while Ramirez will be back as Sam Wilson's right-hand man, Joaquin Torres/Falcon. The pair recently appeared together in The Last of Us season 2.
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