Pedro Pascal replaces Joaquin Phoenix in Todd Haynes’ queer movie ‘De Noche’
Pedro Pascal has officially replaced Joaquin Phoenix in Todd Haynes’ upcoming film, De Noche.
The project is a 1930s-set queer romantic drama following a detective and a boarding school teacher who are forced to flee Los Angeles for Mexico.
As per Variety, Pascal will play the detective, starring opposite Danny Ramirez as his younger lover. It will be his first collaboration with Haynes.
Back in 2024, the film was just days away from shooting when Phoenix exited the film altogether. Phoenix never gave any official reason for his exit.
The Oscar-nominated director, Haynes, has shared of Pascal and Ramirez’s involvement: “This story, with Pedro Pascal and Danny Ramirez in the two leads, arises out of an era — all too relevant to our own — of domestic corruption, racial exploitation and global terror.”
He went on, “But it emerges as a testament to the inexplicable powers of desire and love to survive and overcome even the most crippling of human barriers,” added Haynes, who is also an outspoken activist.
Pascal had a busy 2025, with key appearances in Celine Song’s Materialists, Ari Aster’s Eddington, and Marvel’s Fantastic Four: First Steps.
As for Ramirez, he is best known for his role as Joaquin Torres in the 2025 Marvel film Captain America: Brave New World. He has also appeared in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick and the 2025 series, The Last of Us, alongside Pascal.
Far Out gave Haynes’ last movie, 2023’s May December, three-and-a-half stars, observing, “Typical of many of Haynes’ movies, May December is an absorbing yet uncomfortable watch, mostly for the way it is presented. As in his earlier Julianne Moore-starring film Safe, Haynes employs an almost murder mystery score that ramps the tension up so much that proceedings nearly become humorous.”
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