'De Noche': Pedro Pascal likely to play lead in Todd Haynes film after Joaquin Phoenix's exit

Actor Pedro Pascal is likely to play the lead role in Todd Haynes' 'De Noche', as the makers aim to restart the production, reported Variety. If the deal closes, Pascal would star opposite Danny Ramirez, with the pair playing a corrupt cop and his younger lover as they flee 1930s Los Angeles for Mexico.According to the outlet, Joaquin Phoenix was previously attached to the project, which stalled last year when the actor exited the lead role days before filming began in Guadalajara, Mexico. The movie, produced by Killer Films and backed by sales agent M2K Film, had already sold to international distributors ahead of production.The buzz about Pascal's potential casting comes amid a particularly packed year for the actor, who earned a second Emmy nod for his work on 'The Last of Us' Season 2. He was also seen in Marvel's 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps', as well as 'Materialists' and 'Eddington'Next up, Pascal will reprise his role as Reed Richards, aka Mister Fantastic, in Marvel's 'Avengers: Doomsday,' and he suits up as the Mandalorian for 'Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,' reported Variety. Following Phoenix's exit, Haynes was hopeful that the project could potentially be revived."What happened this summer was tough. But the film itself and the script [which Haynes co-wrote with Jon Raymond] itself may resurrect in a different form someday," the filmmaker said during a conversation at the Marrakech Film Festival in December, as quoted by Variety. After the release of 'Fantastic Four: First Steps', many fans claimed Pedro Pascal's Reed Richards role would lead the Avengers in the 'Avengers: Doomsday' movie. However, the actor refuted such rumours, saying that it isn't something that his character's future entails in the franchise.