Todd Haynes’ Gay Romance ‘De Noche’ Resurrects With Pedro Pascal Confirmed to Star and France’s MK2 Films Financing (EXCLUSIVE)

Following Joaquin Phoenix’s exit last year, Todd Haynes’ subversive love story “De Noche” is back on track with Pedro Pascal officially set to play a hard-boiled detective opposite Danny Ramirez as his younger lover. Shooting will start next month.

MK2 Films, the French indie banner behind Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value” and Kleber Mendonça Filho’s “The Secret Agent,” is financing the film as well as handling international sales. The Paris-based company is also co-repping domestic rights with Cinetic Media. Killer Films’ Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler are producing.

Haynes penned the screenplay with longtime collaborator Jon Raymond. The story, which echoes classic noirs like “Chinatown,” charts the passionate and unexpected love affair between a cop (Pascal) and a boarding school teacher (Ramirez) in 1930s Los Angeles, when the city is overtaken by corruption and the world is on the brink of war. The two men become targets of the city’s corrupt political machine and are forced to flee to Mexico.

The project marks Pascal’s first collaboration with Haynes. The actor has been balancing out studio blockbusters such as Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” with prestige indies like A24’s “Materialists” and “Eddington.”

Haynes, whose last film “May December” earned an Oscar nomination for best screenplay, said: “This story, with Pedro Pascal and Danny Ramirez in the two leads, arises out of an era — all too relevant to our own — of domestic corruption, racial exploitation and global terror.”

“But it emerges as a testament to the inexplicable powers of desire and love to survive and overcome even the most crippling of human barriers,” added Haynes, who is also an outspoken activist.

Fionnuala Jamison, managing director of MK2 Films, said: “Few filmmakers connect with audiences as strongly as Todd Haynes.” Jamison, who will kick off sales on the project at the European Film Market in Berlin, added that Haynes’ films “such as ‘Carol’ and ‘Far from Heaven’ have left a lasting emotional impact worldwide. ‘De Noche’ carries that same power, and with Killer Films and a remarkable cast led by Pedro Pascal, it is a stand-out project we are proud to be a part of and share with buyers.”

Paloma Negra Films and MK2 are also producing with Jonathan Montepare and Steven Demmler, in association with Cinetic Media. IPR.VC is financing as part of their long-term partnership with MK2, alongside Yggdrasil, Léger Production, Mid March, Pluto and Leaf Entertainment.

MK2 Films will also be attending the Berlinale with Kornél Mundruczó’s “At the Sea” starring Oscar-nominated Amy Adams, which will world premiere in competition. The banner is rolling off a strong awards and festival momentum, having nabbed three Golden Globe Awards and seven European Film Awards — as well as 15 and 11 nominations at the Oscars and BAFTAs, respectively — with movies such as Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value,” Kleber Mendonça Filho’s “The Secret Agent” and Jafar Panahi’s “It Was Just an Accident.”