Joaquin Phoenix has abruptly exited Todd Haynes' new film.

In September 2023, Haynes revealed that he was developing a "sexually explicit film" that would tell "a love story between two men set in the 1930s." Phoenix had been cast as one of the men, while Captain America: Brave New World's Danny Ramirez was tipped to play the other in July 2024.

Haynes was filming the film in Guadalajara when Phoenix suddenly left the set about two weeks ago, according to Deadline.

"The film is sadly dead without the Oscar-winning Joker, as there are no plans to recast the cast," the Deadline article reads. "Creators are getting paid. Phoenix walked off the set just before Comic-Con. My understanding is that Ramirez flew to San Diego Comic-Con without knowing if production would resume or not."