Joaquin Phoenix is set to star in an untitled drama from “Beginners” and “20th Century Women” director Mike Mills, and A24 is in negotiations to produce and distribute the film, an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.
This will be Phoenix’s next film following his work in Todd Phillips’s “Joker,” which has garnered awards attention since its premiere in Venice late last month.
It’s also the first feature from Mills since “20th Century Women” in 2016. Mills has already written the script for the film, and production is slated to begin later this fall.
Chelsea Barnard, Lila Yacoub and Andrea Longacre-White are producing the untitled film.
Phoenix is earning Oscar buzz for his work as the iconic Batman villain Joker in the character’s origin story. “Joker” won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, and it co-stars Robert De Niro and Zazie Beetz. He’s represented by WME and Sloane, Offer.
Mills’s last project was a collaboration with the indie rock band The National, a short film and visual album called “I Am Easy to Find.” The project was made in conjunction with the band’s most recent album of the same name, and it starred Alicia Vikander portraying a woman going from being a baby all the way through old age. He’s represented by UTA and Lichter, Grossman.
Upcoming on A24’s slate are “The Lighthouse,” “Waves” and “Uncut Gems,” and the distributor also just acquired “Saint Maud,” a psychological horror film that played during TIFF’s Midnight Madness section.
Deadline first reported the news of the project.