Following months of rumours over which star would replace Joaquin Phoenix in Todd Haynes’ upcoming gay romance, Pedro Pascal has officially been cast in the lead role.

According to an exclusive from Variety, the story of De Noche follows the “unexpected love affair” between a police officer and a schoolteacher in 1930s Los Angeles, “when the city is overtaken by corruption and the world is on the brink of war”.

As their relationship deepens, the pair become targets of the city’s corrupt political machine, forcing them to abandon their lives in Los Angeles and flee to Mexico in a desperate bid for survival.

Pascal will star opposite Danny Ramirez, who is best known for his role as Joaquin Torres/Falcon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) and film Captain America: Brave New World (2025).