Lewis Pullman Wants to Replace Joaquin Phoenix in Todd Haynes’ Romance Movie

Lewis Pullman says he’d be open to replacing Joaquin Phoenix in Todd Haynes’ new romance movie.

Phoenix had previously been cast alongside Danny Ramirez in a romance movie directed by Haynes that is about two men who embark on a sexually explicit affair while departing from Los Angeles in the 1930s.

Phoenix, however, reportedly left the set five days before production on the movie was supposed to begin. At this time, Phoenix’s part has not been recast and the project appears to be in limbo.

What did Lewis Pullman say about Todd Haynes’ movie?

Appearing on the Just for Variety podcast, Pullman, who starred alongside Ramirez in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick, said he’d “love” to get a call about taking on Phoenix’s role in the movie.

“I would love to get that call,” Pullman said. “It’s a brilliant idea. I’m here. I’m here. I’m ready.”

Pullman, who starred in the recently released Salem’s Lot movie, will make his MCU debut next year in Thunderbolts*. Ramirez also plays Joaquin Torres/Falcon, a role he’ll soon be seen reprising in 2025’s Captain America: Brave New World, in the MCU. At the time of this article’s publication, Variety’s article states that Ramirez will also star in Thunderbolts*, which releases next May.

Phoenix was asked about why he left Haynes’ movie when promoting Folie á Deux at the 2024 Venice Film Festival last month.

“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. So I won’t,” Phoenix told reporters when asked for comment about the situation.

Producer Christine Vachon, who was working on Haynes’ movie, meanwhile told The Hollywood Reporter about Phoenix’s sudden departure, “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. We, as a cultural community, lost an opportunity to have another movie by Todd Haynes. That is just criminal.”

Brandon Schreur

Brandon Schreur has been writing about comics, movies, television shows, and all things pop culture for roughly five years. He's a lifelong cinephile who spends way, way too much money buying Blu-rays and trade paperbacks. You can find him on twitter at @brandonschreur.