Back in 2019, Richard Linklater had lined up his most ambitious project yet. In fact, maybe the most ambitious project in the history of cinema.
No stranger to ambition, Linklater famously filmed his masterful “Boyhood” over 12 years. However, even that was not enough to land him a Best Director or Best Picture Oscar win. So, how could he possibly outdo one of the rare films in history that sits with a perfect 100 score on Metacritic.
Well, how about shoot a film over a span of 20 years.
At a recent SXSW panel, Linklater confirmed that his adaptation of Steven Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll Along” has already been shooting now for close to two years.
Linklater’s project is being shot at various points over the next twenty years. Its plot concerns a Broadway composer whose life we learn about through flashbacks. Ben Platt and Beanie Feldstein lead the cast.
I look forward to its 2040 release, probably slotted somewhere between the 57th Movie in the MCU, and Fast and Furious 19.