Linklater says Merrily We Roll Along will shoot in nine parts over 20 years
“See you in 2040.” Richard Linklater joked about the finish line for his long-range musical as he gave an update on Merrily We Roll Along during a masterclass at the Zurich Film Festival, according to Variety.
The film will be built in nine sections shot over 20 years. Linklater said the fourth section will shoot in a few months. That schedule keeps the production on its two-decade path.
The cast is Paul Mescal, Beanie Feldstein and Ben Platt. The film is based on the Stephen Sondheim musical, first staged in 1981, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It follows three friends in the entertainment business. The telling runs in reverse, from middle-aged compromise back to youthful ambition.
The method recalls Boyhood. Linklater shot that family drama over 12 years so the cast could age on screen, and it went on to an Oscar nomination, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Merrily needs more time. The story demands visible ageing across decades, so the gaps between shoots do the work no makeup can fake.
Interest in the title grew after the recent Broadway revival. That staging, starring Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez, won four Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical, according to Variety. The awards are voted by theatre professionals and mark the top honours for Broadway shows in New York.
The film cast has shifted once along the way. Feldstein, Platt and Blake Jenner were originally announced in 2019, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Mescal later replaced Jenner, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Mescal has since led Gladiator 2 in 2024.
Linklater spoke in Zurich while accepting the festival’s Career Achievement Award. During the same session he denied a claim by Julie Delpy, his Before Sunrise co-writer and star, that she was paid a tenth of co-star Ethan Hawke’s salary, according to Variety.
What makes this stand out is the patience. Most films shoot in weeks. This one shoots, waits, then shoots again. For fans, this means short bursts of news followed by long silences until the next section rolls.
