Director Todd Haynes has been busy in recent days promoting his new movie at the Cannes Film Festival in France. May December is about an actress (Natalie Portman) who arrives in a small town to study the woman (Julianne Moore) she’ll be playing in a biopic, who years earlier became a tabloid star thanks to her romance with a man (Charles Melton) much younger than her.
If May December weren’t enough to excite gay movie buffs, Haynes let slip that he’s already got his eyes on his next project.
“There’s another movie I want to do in early 2024,” he told Les Inrockuptibles. “It’s a project that Joaquin Phoenix brought to me, and it’s set in the 1930s. A love story between two men, based on an original, very audacious scenario.”
Todd Haynes arrives for an Outfest screening of ‘Far From Heaven’ in July 2022 in Los Angeles (Shutterstock)
Haynes, who is gay, is famed for some queer classics, Including Far From Heaven, Carol and Velvet Goldmine. Carol starred Phoenix’s wife, Rooney Mara. Haynes noted that if they pull it off, this project would mark Phoenix’s first explicitly gay role.
Haynes also spoke to Indiewire about the project. He said, “The next film is a feature that’s an original script that I developed with Joaquin Phoenix based on some thoughts and ideas he brought to me. We basically wrote with him as a story writer. Me and Jon Raymond and Joaquin share the story credit. And we hope to be shooting it beginning early next year.”
He says Phoenix pushed him to not hold back.
“Joaquin was pushing me further and going ‘no, let’s go further,'” Haynes said. “This will be an NC-17 film.”
There’s no further word on the project, but online, many are already excited at the prospect of Phoenix (actually born Joaquin Rafael Bottom – we kid you not), 48, in a historic gay romance. In the meantime, fans can look forward to seeing him star opposite Lady Gaga in the Joker sequel, which is due out October 2024.
When my friend asks me why I won’t shut up about Joaquin Phoenix being gay in a Todd Haynes NC-17 period piece pic.twitter.com/X9vR2Fccw2
paul mescal gay drama/romance josh o connor gay romance andrew scott gay drama joaquin phoenix gay romance drew starkey gay drama daniel craig gay drama ethan hawke gay western pedro pascal gay western 2023/2024 is going to be crazy times to be alive
The ‘Riverdale’ star is receiving raves for his performance in ‘May December,’ the new film from ‘Carol’ director Todd Haynes .
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Todd Haynes has talent, but based off of the description it sounds like depressing Oscar bait: doomed gay relationship set at least 30 years in the past. We get at least several of those a year, and they represent the majority of high-profile “gay movies”. We’re not tired yet? Or can these esteemed queer filmmakers not think of telling “queer stories” in the present or ones that aren’t hyper focused on being closeted or being depressed?
I recall an incident that occured after a Sundance screening of the film “Better Luck Tomorrow”:
“In response to an audience member who asked director [Justin] Lin if he thought it was irresponsible to portray Asian-Americans in such a negative light, Roger Ebert stood up and said, angrily, “What I find very offensive and condescending about your statement is nobody would say to a bunch of white filmmakers, ‘How could you do this to your people?'”. And then he continued: “This film has the right to be about these people, and Asian-Americans have the right to be whatever the hell they want to be. They do not have to ‘represent’ their people.””
Quantum, I hear you, except that Ebert is speaking for Asian Americans, and the fact is that for most of its history Hollywood in particular has presented very negative images of Asian Americans (as well as other non-White racial groups), often resorting to stereotype, as well as “yellowface,” with White actors (not even Hapa) playing Asians and Asian Americans.
So the larger historical, social, political, and aesthetic context needs to be taken into account, which he fails to do in his response.
That said, I do agree that filmmakers and artists should have the right to portray the world as they see it, including when it comes to but not limited to their particular intersectional identities (race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexuality, etc.), but they also have to be ready to field (or ignore) whatever criticisms come their way as a result. It comes with the territory, and always has.
I am not going to prejudge whatever Todd Haynes comes up with for this 1930s movie, because he is a highly original and innovative filmmaker, but I pray pray pray it has nothing to do with Nazis. Please, enough with the Nazis!
There are innumerable gay/queer stories potentially set in the 1930s still untold to tell (and I should add that while Hollywood did not openly deal with same-sexual love as we know it today they did push the boundaries quite a bit before the Hayes Code, as any film by Dorothy Arzner, just to name one director, makes clear), so I hope and pray that Haynes and Phoenix and whoever else is involved skip the Nazi-obsession and focus on something else.
As Donston says, I hope it isn’t a sad or tragic tale and instead is one that imagines gay men in the rich, sometimes hidden-in-plain sight but still legally fraught gay and queer demimondes, especially in the US, that existed during that period–the Dust Bowl, Great Depression and massive internal migration in the US, the era of major labor battles, the lead-up to World War II, etc.
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Donston
Todd Haynes has talent, but based off of the description it sounds like depressing Oscar bait: doomed gay relationship set at least 30 years in the past. We get at least several of those a year, and they represent the majority of high-profile “gay movies”. We’re not tired yet? Or can these esteemed queer filmmakers not think of telling “queer stories” in the present or ones that aren’t hyper focused on being closeted or being depressed?
quantum
I recall an incident that occured after a Sundance screening of the film “Better Luck Tomorrow”:
“In response to an audience member who asked director [Justin] Lin if he thought it was irresponsible to portray Asian-Americans in such a negative light, Roger Ebert stood up and said, angrily, “What I find very offensive and condescending about your statement is nobody would say to a bunch of white filmmakers, ‘How could you do this to your people?'”. And then he continued: “This film has the right to be about these people, and Asian-Americans have the right to be whatever the hell they want to be. They do not have to ‘represent’ their people.””
Kangol2
Quantum, I hear you, except that Ebert is speaking for Asian Americans, and the fact is that for most of its history Hollywood in particular has presented very negative images of Asian Americans (as well as other non-White racial groups), often resorting to stereotype, as well as “yellowface,” with White actors (not even Hapa) playing Asians and Asian Americans.
So the larger historical, social, political, and aesthetic context needs to be taken into account, which he fails to do in his response.
That said, I do agree that filmmakers and artists should have the right to portray the world as they see it, including when it comes to but not limited to their particular intersectional identities (race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexuality, etc.), but they also have to be ready to field (or ignore) whatever criticisms come their way as a result. It comes with the territory, and always has.
Kangol2
I am not going to prejudge whatever Todd Haynes comes up with for this 1930s movie, because he is a highly original and innovative filmmaker, but I pray pray pray it has nothing to do with Nazis. Please, enough with the Nazis!
There are innumerable gay/queer stories potentially set in the 1930s still untold to tell (and I should add that while Hollywood did not openly deal with same-sexual love as we know it today they did push the boundaries quite a bit before the Hayes Code, as any film by Dorothy Arzner, just to name one director, makes clear), so I hope and pray that Haynes and Phoenix and whoever else is involved skip the Nazi-obsession and focus on something else.
As Donston says, I hope it isn’t a sad or tragic tale and instead is one that imagines gay men in the rich, sometimes hidden-in-plain sight but still legally fraught gay and queer demimondes, especially in the US, that existed during that period–the Dust Bowl, Great Depression and massive internal migration in the US, the era of major labor battles, the lead-up to World War II, etc.
SDR94103
“the internet is losing their minds”
couldn’t find a gay actor? BS
storm45701
None as talented as Phoenix.
Diplomat
Todd was great with 2002 gay love story Far from Heaven w Juliana Moore and Dennis Quaid. I’d expect no less from this current project.
Joshooeerr
I’m a big fan of Todd Haynes. But Joaquin Phoenix – however great an actor – has zero sex appeal.
PapaBearPgh
I can’t understand the swooning over Joaquin. I was more attracted to River. He had 1000% more sex appeal!!
storm45701
Too bad he’s dead. Enjoy fantasizing about a corpse.