Producer Christine Vachon recently shared her honest thoughts about Pedro Pascal stepping into the lead role of Todd Haynes’ upcoming film De Noche. The movie faced a major crisis when Joaquin Phoenix walked away just days before filming was supposed to start. Now, with Pascal on board, Vachon believes everything worked out for the best.
Vachon spoke at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on August 14, 2026, where she discussed how the project came back to life. She did not hold back when praising Pascal’s performance in the reworked gay romance film.
Producer Jokes She Prefers Pedro Pascal Over Joaquin Phoenix
During the festival talk, host Wendy Mitchell made a playful comment: “I actually like [Pascal] better than Joaquin Phoenix anyway.” Vachon quickly responded: “I kind of do too!” The crowd at Edinburgh’s Central Hall laughed along with them.
Vachon then explained her true feelings about the situation:
“It wasn’t an easy situation. And as I also stated, it was devastating that Todd didn’t get to make a movie again that year. If you take the […] glass half-full version, and ‘everything happens for a reason’ [perspective], maybe the reason was that this was a role that Pedro was born to play. He is certainly extraordinary in the film, and by the way, so is Danny [Ramirez]. I mean, both of them are a revelation.”
How Joaquin Phoenix Left the Project Days Before Filming
The trouble started in August 2024. Joaquin Phoenix was set to star in the lead role of Todd Haynes’ untitled gay romance film. He dropped out just five days before filming was scheduled to begin in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Phoenix had actually brought the project to Killer Films in the first place. He helped develop the screenplay with Haynes and Jon Raymond. But his sudden exit left the production in complete chaos.
At the time, Vachon posted about the situation on Facebook, writing: “It has been a nightmare.” She later called the exit a “tragedy” during a talk at the San Sebastián International Film Festival.
Vachon explained why she felt so strongly about the loss:
“The most tragic part about it is that Todd Haynes is 62. He’s not old, right? But there is a finite number of films that he’ll be able to do in his lifetime. I consider him one of the most extraordinary film artists of his generation, and 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.”
She also warned about the wider impact: “When something like that happens, it sends a shockwave through the industry. If a company like Killer, a star like Joaquin, a filmmaker like Todd, if that fell at the finish line, then how do we take a risk on the first-time filmmaker or the actor who’s still up and coming?”
Pedro Pascal Steps In to Save the Film
After Phoenix’s departure, the project looked dead. But Pedro Pascal came to the rescue in August 2025. He was confirmed to take over the lead role.
Vachon had already worked with Pascal on Celine Song’s film Materialists. That connection helped bring him onto De Noche. She recalled: “We’ve worked together on Materialists. It started to be one of those things that was like ‘I wonder if [Pascal would do De Noche],’ and it worked out.”
She also had warm words about Pascal as a person: “People always say to me, ‘Is he as nice as he seems?’ […] He is. People are so invested. They love him.”
What ‘De Noche’ Is About
De Noche is a romantic drama set in the 1930s. Pedro Pascal plays a hard-boiled detective. Danny Ramirez plays a boarding school teacher. The two men develop a passionate love affair in Los Angeles.
The city is full of corruption, and the world is on the edge of war. The two men become targets of the city’s corrupt political machine. They are forced to flee to Mexico.
The story echoes classic noirs like Chinatown. The film has been described as an NC-17 movie because of its explicit content.
Haynes wrote the screenplay with his longtime collaborator Jon Raymond.
A Better Location and a Better Film
The delay actually gave the production team a chance to improve things. Vachon said the “do-over” allowed them to find a better shoot location. They moved the filming from Guadalajara to Mexico City. Vachon said this change “ended up being better creatively”.
The film is now in post-production. No release date has been announced yet.
Danny Ramirez Also Gets High Praise
Vachon made sure to praise both leads. She said: “If you take the Pollyanna, glass-half-full version of everything happens for a reason, maybe the reason was that this was a role Pedro was born to play. So was Danny [Ramirez]. Both of them are a revelation.”
Ramirez, known for Top Gun: Maverick, plays Pascal’s younger lover in the film.
MK2 Films Comes On Board as Financier
French independent banner MK2 Films stepped in to finance the project. The company is behind films like Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value. MK2 is also handling international sales. They are co-representing domestic rights with Cinetic Media.
Killer Films’ Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler are producing. Paloma Negra Films and MK2 are also producing with Jonathan Montepare and Steven Demmler.
MK2 managing director Fionnuala Jamison said: “Few filmmakers connect with audiences as strongly as Todd Haynes. […] ‘De Noche’ carries that same power, and with Killer Films and a remarkable cast led by Pedro Pascal, it is a stand-out project we are proud to be a part of.”
Todd Haynes’ Vision for the Film
Director Todd Haynes, whose last film May December earned an Oscar nomination for best screenplay, shared his thoughts on the project:
“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. 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.”
A Busy Year for Pedro Pascal
2026 has been a packed year for Pascal. He earned a second Emmy nomination for his work on Season 2 of HBO’s The Last of Us. He also starred in Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, as well as A24’s Materialists and Eddington.
Next up, Pascal will reprise his role as Reed Richards in Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday. He will also appear in Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu.
De Noche marks Pascal’s first collaboration with Todd Haynes.
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Vachon on the Queer Film Landscape
During her Edinburgh talk, Vachon also spoke about the current state of queer cinema. She said: “We have ‘Heated Rivalry’ which couldn’t be a bigger hit, and we still have politicians campaigning on who gets to use what bathroom.”
She compared today’s LGBTQ film audiences to the early days of her career: “Back in those days, the LGBTQ audience could go to bars. There were parts of town [where you could] take your leaflets and just go specific places where people gathered and say, ‘Look! We made this! It’s for you.’ That’s just moved online.”
Vachon said she is encouraged by the current theater-going demographic, which is made up mostly of people under 30. But she also acknowledged: “We’re at a time of great disruption.”
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