Joaquin Phoenix Is Making A Psychosexual Island Movie
Joaquin Phoenix has been cast alongside Rooney Mara in a psychosexual island thriller that is loosely based on a true story about a couple living on a desert island.
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Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara are set to star in a brand new movie, with the working title The Island. The feature, directed by Pawel Pawlikowski, is billed as a dramatic thriller and is scheduled to begin production next year. The project is produced by Tanya Seghatchian and John Woodward for Apocalypso Pictures and Brightstar. FilmNation Entertainment will launch international sales at the upcoming American Film Market with WME Independent representing U.S rights.
According to Variety, the film is loosely based on a true story and centers on a 1930’s American couple (played by Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara) that turns their back on civilization. Instead, they build a secluded paradise on a deserted island and live off the land. But when a millionaire turns the pair into a tabloid sensation after passing their home on his yacht, a self-styled countess plans to take over the island and build a luxury hotel with her two lovers.
As the larger-than-life European countess and her entourage begin to threaten the idyllic life the couple (Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara) has built, battle lines are quickly drawn. Psychological warfare ensues as seduction and jealousy turn into sexual infidelity, betrayal, and eventually murder. And at exactly the same time, nature intervenes, turning against all the island’s interlopers.
Speaking about the Joaquin Phoenix starrer, FilmNation’s CEO Glen Basner hailed Pawel Pawlikowski as one of the world’s greatest filmmakers. “Pawel bringing this story of jealousy, betrayal, and murder in a Garden of Eden is exactly what we all need to drive audiences back to the cinema,” he told Variety. The director previously earned an Academy Award nomination for directing Cold War and won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Feature for Ida.
Interestingly, real-life couple Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara previously appeared together in the 2018 historical drama Mary Magdalene. The actress’s other credits include her Oscar-nominated performances in Carol and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. She can currently be seen in Women Talking, which is earning wide praise from critics.
Meanwhile, Phoenix won an Academy Award for Joker and will reprise the role in Joker: Folie à Deux. While most details about the Joker sequel remain a mystery, Todd Phillips is returning to direct the movie from a script he co-wrote with Scott Silver. Additionally, The Hollywood Reporter says the story will have a musical element and will be set in Arkham Asylum.
The official title, Joker: Folie à Deux, also references a medical term for a mental disorder that affects two or more people who share genetics in the same family. Along with Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga will star as Harley Quinn and Zazie Beetz will reprise her role as Sophie Dumond, Arthur’s love interest from the first movie. Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, and Jacob Lofland are set to join the cast in undisclosed roles.
Joker: Folie à Deux is expected to begin production this December. It will be released on October 4, 2024. His other notable roles include The Master, Gladiator, and Ridley Scott’s upcoming film Napoleon, in which he will play the French military leader.
