His departure from the cinema provokes indignation

When Joaquin Phoenix abruptly walked out of Todd Haynes’ gay romance film last week, just five days before production began, the actor unleashed a tidal wave that has now reached far beyond the confines of its set in Guadalajara, Mexico.

“There’s been a tremendous amount of outrage,” one studio executive says of Hollywood producers’ reaction to Phoenix’s last-minute exit, which left the cast and crew in a difficult position and now exposes the actor to the possibility of legal action, according to sources.

The departure was particularly surprising, given that Phoenix first pitched the project to Haynes and his longtime producers at Killer Films, headed by Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler.

The untitled film, also starring Captain America: Brave New WorldDanny Ramirez’s film was said to focus on an intense gay romance in the 1930s. According to multiple sources, Phoenix got cold feet before production, though the motives remain unclear. A representative for Phoenix did not respond to a request for comment. Killer Films declined to comment.

In fact, the actor is known to get cold feet before filming various projects. Two sources say The thr who threatened to abandon Ridley Scott Napoleon unless your The Master Filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson was hired to do the rewrites. Appeased, he took on the project and it hit theaters late last year.

As Phoenix once said 60 minutes‘Anderson Cooper is usually “petrified” when he takes on a role and before filming, he is “nervous” that he won’t be able to “find the right place to express” his ideas.

In recent days, clamor has grown louder among the production community for legal action against Phoenix, with insiders pointing to examples throughout Hollywood history of actors being held accountable for leaving movies without a star.

In 1993, a court ruled that Kim Basinger breached an oral contract to star in the Main Line Pictures film. Helena Boxingand Basinger was ordered to pay the company at least $8.92 million in damages. That judgment was overturned the following year and Basinger eventually settled with Main Line in 1995, agreeing to pay $3.8 million.

Others have cited Bruce Willis walking out on a Disney movie that was never finished. Broadway Fighter Halfway through production, after which he had to make three Disney movies, priced below his market value, to make up for it. (That situation worked out in everyone’s favor when two of those movies ended up being hits.) Armageddon and Sixth sense.)

Controversy arises as Phoenix prepares to take over The Joker: Folly of Two Haynes’s cinematic drama could overshadow the press tour, though Phoenix historically does very little solo publicity, even for his flashy roles, and tends to wait until later in awards season to do so.

In JokerHe and Warner turned down most major requests and the film’s Los Angeles premiere featured no red carpet interviews from anyone, as Joker It faced its own controversy over fears that the film could inspire violence. The film ended up being a billion-dollar hit and earned Phoenix an Oscar.

In fact, the actor’s reticent attitude and reputation for fidgeting don’t seem to have hurt his chances of winning the Oscar, and at times have even seemed to help him with voters. Phoenix’s elaborate charade that he was becoming a rapper (ridiculed by many when he did so in 2010) didn’t stop him from being nominated for best actor for The Master Two years later.

Still, festivals involve red carpets and press conferences, and Phoenix’s presence at any of them could provide a distraction, both for fans and the media, so close to his decision to drop out of Haynes’ film.

According to sources, some producers have talked idly about blacklisting Phoenix over Haynes’ departure, but most acknowledge that’s unrealistic, particularly considering that Joker 2which is set to be released on October 4, is expected to be a hit.

An agent not connected to Haynes’ films believes Phoenix will ultimately not face a major career setback. And this person predicts the actor will settle for the low seven figures the production spent on the film, citing his large payouts for his work. Joker The actor has plenty of money to cope with this situation. “As long as they keep threatening him, he will put up with it. He doesn’t care about anything,” says the agent.

—Steven Zeitchik contributed to this story.