Phoenix was recently set to star in Todd Haynes' next movie, a gay romantic drama, the idea for which Phoenix brought to Haynes. The movie was ultimately greenlit on Phoenix's name alone, was fully cast, scouted, and sets were built in Mexico. However, only FIVE days before filming was set to start, Phoenix dropped out, with cold feet due to the explicit nature of some of the sex scenes in the movie. Again, one that was Phoenix's idea. The movie had already even been pre-sold to foreign markets, which is often how independent movies - which this was - get funding. International distribution rights can be pre-sold off the back of a big name, and then that money is used to fund the film itself. But without Phoenix's name, the movie of course imploded, leaving Haynes and the producers millions of dollars in debt.
That was just in August, and what felt like the entire industry turned on Phoenix. Now, everyone is saying Joker: Folie a Deux's epic failure is karma for his actions. True or not, the back-to-back of Phoenix's ****tiness on the Haynes project + the disaster that is Joker: Folie a Deux = Phoenix at what is no doubt a low point in his career. Some are even saying he'll be uninsurable going forward, due to his wishy-washy nature (he's apparently tried to back out at the last minute on multiple other projects), and Joker now bombing certainly doesn't help his prospects.
Granted, there are rumors that Phoenix is now potentially paying for either the entire Haynes production, or at least a portion of it, but two months later and he still hasn't done so, with no one quite sure if or when he will.
Regardless, the dude is definitely a head case, and it's probably best he goes away for a while/hopefully gets his **** together.
