Producer Christine Vachon is publicly praising the recasting of Todd Haynes' queer romance film De Noche, saying Pedro Pascal and co-star Danny Ramirez have transformed what was once a troubled production into something she is excited about.
Phoenix reportedly walked off the set of the film in Guadalajara, Mexico, in July 2024, leaving the project in serious doubt. Pascal stepped in last August, and production moved forward earlier this year. Speaking at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, Vachon told Screen Daily that the outcome was worth the upheaval.
"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]," Vachon said. "Both of them are a revelation."
According to Deadline, Vachon acknowledged the difficulty of losing Phoenix mid-production. "It was not an easy situation," she said, and called it "devastating" that Haynes was unable to complete the film that year. But she described the restart as ultimately beneficial to the movie.
The film is set in the 1930s and follows two men who develop an intense romantic relationship and leave Los Angeles for Mexico. With the recasting came a location change as well. Vachon noted that the film's setting has been moved from Guadalajara to Mexico City, which she said "ended up being better creatively."
Vachon also described how Pascal came to be attached to the project. Haynes had met Pascal on the awards circuit during the promotional run for May December. "Todd was working on some other things, and he met Pedro on the awards circuit when he was doing May December," she said. "People always say to me, 'Is Pedro as nice as he seems?' And he is. People are so invested in him."
The two had also worked together on the film Materialists, which helped build the relationship further. "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," Vachon said.
Ramirez, known for Top Gun: Maverick, remains in the cast from the original production. Haynes previously said he and writing partner Jon Raymond developed the script with Phoenix, and that Phoenix would share story credit on the finished film.
Vachon has produced every Haynes film since his 1991 debut Poison, a run that includes Safe, Velvet Goldmine, Far From Heaven, I'm Not There, and Carol. De Noche continues that partnership and represents Haynes' return to the queer subject matter that defined his early career.
No release date has been announced for the film.
