Neither Joaquin nor Todd has publicly addressed the news.

There has been a lot of speculation about the reason for Joaquins exit.

TheVarietyreport claimed that the crew on the film suspected he had second thoughts about the films graphic sex scenes.

Joaquin Phoenix on the red carpet, wearing a dark suit and tie with a shirt

Another production source told the outlet that theJokerstar got cold feet.

BuzzFeed has contacted Joaquin’s representative for comment.

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Closeup of Todd Haynes

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Phoenix and Mara at the premiere of Joker in 2019