Todd Haynes’ long-awaited queer noir film De Noche has returned to active production, now starring Pedro Pascal in the lead role. This revival follows last year’s sudden halt after Joaquin Phoenix’s unexpected departure days before filming was set to start.
Filming is scheduled to begin next month, signaling a significant resurgence of the period romance that many believed had been abandoned. Pascal will star opposite Danny Ramirez, marking a fresh chapter for the project that reanimates Haynes’ vision of a genre piece with a queer core.
Exploring a Dark Romance in 1930s Los Angeles
Set amidst the shadowy backdrop of Los Angeles during the 1930s, De Noche focuses on a hardened detective and a young boarding school teacher who become entwined in a dangerous and passionate romance. Their relationship develops as the city is engulfed by corruption and political turmoil, forcing them into flight to escape mounting threats.
The story dives deep into the personal and societal tensions of the era, as the couple balances intimacy and survival under an oppressive system designed to suppress dissent and difference.
Todd Haynes’ Genre Storytelling Meets Queer Themes
Co-written by Todd Haynes and longtime collaborator Jon Raymond, the film embraces classic noir elements such as moral ambiguity and pervasive paranoia. However, it breaks new ground by centering a same-sex relationship with depth and nuance rarely explored in period dramas.
Pascal’s character is portrayed as a weary cop worn down by the injustices of the system, while Ramirez plays an optimistic educator. Their bond grows in defiance of a city constructed to eradicate challenges to its power, creating a narrative where love clashes with institutional control.
Pedro Pascal officially replaces Joaquin Phoenix in Todd Haynes’ new gay romance movie ‘De Noche,’ @Variety reports.He stars opposite Danny Ramirez. pic.twitter.com/PwvnyyXIuX
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave)
Continuity with Haynes’ Signature Themes
De Noche revisits terrain familiar to fans of Haynes’ earlier films like Carol and Far From Heaven, where desire unfolds as an act of resistance against social condemnation. The film situates love not as refuge but as a courageous, risky defiance of societal constraints.
Pedro Pascal’s Shift Toward Director-Driven Projects
For Pedro Pascal, this film is a deliberate departure from blockbuster franchises toward smaller, character-driven works. While he maintains visibility in major productions—such as Marvel’s upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps—his collaboration with Haynes reflects a clear interest in complex, nuanced storytelling.
This marks Pascal’s first partnership with Haynes, indicating a purposeful career choice to explore challenging narratives over spectacle.
Production and Financing Details
French independent company MK2 Films is financing De Noche and managing international sales, sharing domestic responsibilities with Cinetic Media. Producers Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler of Killer Films continue their longstanding collaboration with Haynes, with additional production support from Paloma Negra Films along with MK2.
Jonathan Montepare and Steven Demmler are associated producers through Cinetic, while financing partners include IPR.VC, Yggdrasil, Léger Production, Mid March, Pluto, and Leaf Entertainment. MK2 plans to present the film at the European Film Market in Berlin, where it will join other notable titles such as Kornél Mundruczó’s At the Sea, starring Amy Adams.
Current Themes and Cultural Resonance
Haynes describes De Noche as a project born from a time permeated by corruption, fear, and exploitation—conditions that resonate strongly with today’s world. Yet, the film ultimately champions love as an act of survival and defiance, persisting in environments constructed to erase it.
With principal photography about to begin and a cast combining star power with emotional depth, De Noche is being shaped as one of Haynes’ most politically engaged and emotionally daring films to date. Its rebirth suggests a promising future for a film once threatened by upheaval, now poised to join the director’s canon of impactful queer cinema.
Pedro Pascal officially replaces Joaquin Phoenix in Todd Haynes’ new gay romance movie ‘De Noche,’ @Variety reports.
He stars opposite Danny Ramirez. pic.twitter.com/PwvnyyXIuX
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) February 4, 2026
