New Joaquin Phoenix Movie From Mike Mills And A24 Involves A Road Trip

Joaquin Phoenix, you just won an Oscar for playing a smelly clown! What are you going to do next? The answer: star in an A24 film for director Mike Mills. Word of this project first surfaced last year, and now, details are starting to trickle out. The plot involves Phoenix's character traveling across the country with his nephew.

Fresh from his Oscar win for Joker, Joaquin Phoenix is hot right now. To be clear: Phoenix was already one of the best actors working before he slapped on some greasepaint. But his Oscar win has made him even more buzz-worthy, and that's the sort of thing producers go gaga over. So what's next for the actor? A new film from A24 and 20th Century Women director Mike Mills.

The film remains untitled (although it's rumored to be called C'mon, C'mon), but Deadline has some fresh plot details. In the film, Phoenix plays an "artist left to take care of his precocious young nephew as they forge an unexpected bond over a cross country trip." The movie will also "touch on mental illness as the boy's father struggles with bipolar disorder."

The film also features Gaby Hoffman, Woody Norman, and Kenneth Kynt Bryan, and is aiming for an end-of-the-year release date. Mills is a strong filmmaker – 20th Century Women is fantastic – and I like the idea of Phoenix following-up something big like Joker with a smaller A24 pic. Here's hoping this all turns out well in the end.

Note: A previous version of this story mentioned WETA digital was working on this film. We've since learned that info is incorrect.