Pedro Pascal is circling the lead role in Todd Haynes‘ “De Noche,” as the shuttered production plans to restart.

If the deal closes, Pascal would star opposite Danny Ramirez, with the pair playing a corrupt cop and his younger lover as they flee 1930s Los Angeles for Mexico. Joaquin Phoenix was previously attached to the project, which stalled last year when the actor exited the lead role days before filming began in Guadalajara, Mexico. The movie, produced by Killer Films and backed by sales agent M2K Film, had already sold to international distributors ahead of production.

News of Pascal’s potential casting comes amid a particularly packed year for the actor, who earned a second Emmy nod for his work on Season 2 of HBO’s “The Last of Us,” and starred on the big screen in a trio of high-profile projects: Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” as well as A24’s “Materialists” and “Eddington.” Killer Films’ Christine Vahon and Pamela Koffler also produced “Materialists.” Next up, Pascal will reprise his role as Reed Richards aka Mister Fantastic in Marvel’s “Avengers: Doomsday,” and he suits up as the Mandalorian (this time in movie theaters instead of on Disney+) for “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu.”

Following Phoenix’s exit, Haynes was hopeful that the project could potentially be revived. “What happened this summer was tough,” the filmmaker said during a conversation at the Marrakech Film Festival in December. “But the film itself and the script [which Haynes co-wrote with Jon Raymond] itself may resurrect in a different form someday.”

Pascal is repped by CAA and Jackoway, Austen, Tyerman, etc. Haynes is repped by CAA, Cinetic Media and Sloss Eckhouse Dasti Haynes LawCo.

Deadline first reported news of Pascal’s involvement in the project.