Christine Vachon addresses Joaquin Phoenix’s unexpected departure from Queer romance film
- Vachon and Pam Koffler were producing the film.
- Phoenix declined to share his opinion about his decision to leave the film during a press conference.
- Vachon’s Killer Films is currently filming Celine Song’s “Materialists” and Rachel Rose’s “The Last Day.”
Producer Christine Vachon from Killer Films addressed the controversy surrounding Joaquin Phoenix’s last-minute departure from Todd Haynes’s upcoming film “May December” during the Creative Investors Conference at the San Sebastián International Film Festival.
Vachon, a regular at the Spanish festival, discussed the sustainability of filmmaking in an ever-evolving industry. When asked about her biggest regret regarding Phoenix’s withdrawal from the queer romance film, which reportedly left hundreds of crew members jobless, Vachon expressed that her deepest sympathy was for Haynes.
Vachon said, “The truth is that you can all see pretty much everything that happened. I wouldn’t have anything to gossip about, but I don’t. It was tragic. I find Todd Haynes’ age of sixty-two to be the most terrible part of it.”
She further added, “There’s a finite number of films that they’ll be able to do in his lifetime. I consider him one of the most extraordinary film artists of his generation. The idea that his 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 and that I can’t get over.”
Joaquin Phoenix exited Todd Haynes’s film “May December” just weeks before filming was set to begin in Guadalajara, Mexico, as initially reported by Deadline. The producers made efforts to save the project before it completely fell apart, but local crew members are still owed money. Phoenix and Danny Ramirez (Top Gun: Maverick) were cast to portray two men in the 1930s who fall deeply in love and travel from Los Angeles to Mexico to pursue their relationship. Christine Vachon, along with Pam Koffler, was producing the film.
During the Joker 2 press conference in Venice, Phoenix was questioned about his decision to leave the movie. He said, “If I do, I’d just be sharing my opinion from my perspective and the other creatives aren’t here to share their piece so I don’t think that would be helpful.”
Vachon’s Killer Films recently completed production on Celine Song’s upcoming movie “Materialists” and is currently filming Rachel Rose’s “The Last Day”, starring Victoria Pedretti and Alicia Vikander.
