Would you believe that the Joker was beaten by a picket line rather than Batman? Recently, Joaquin Phoenix was slated to play alongside Rooney Mara in the ambitious independent film
The Island, but it appears that production has been halted as a result of the current Hollywood writer's strike. According to Deadline, The Island production has been halted because it could not be bonded due to insurance firms' concerns about an anticipated actor strike.
This is when things get a little complicated. With the writer's strike still in effect, Hollywood's production of new written content has slowed to a halt,
but movies and shows with scripts in hand could continue production (though many directors and stars, including Mayim Bialik, have walked away from projects in solidarity with the writers).
On paper, nothing could stop Joaquin Phoenix and the rest of the cast and crew from working on The Island, and everyone had lately gone to Spain to do so.
The Island, like other films, required adequate insurance before production could begin.
Actors Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara, as well as Oscar-winning director Pawel Pawlikowski, had no reason to anticipate they would have difficulty obtaining insurance.
After all, in a world where Tom Cruise keeps getting insured just to nearly kill himself onscreen for our entertainment, insuring a modest indie film should have been a piece of cake.
Even if you despise Joaquin Phoenix, this is awful news for anyone who appreciates having a variety of films to watch at any one moment.
The last time independent films experienced difficulties in obtaining insurance was during the COVID-19 pandemic when we lost as many as 400 productions.