Paul Mescal already landed a primo role in Ridley Scott‘s “Gladiator” sequel, and has now been tapped to replace Blake Jenner in Richard Linklater‘s “Merrily We Roll Along”, according to Above the Line.
Back in 2019, Linklater had lined up his most ambitious project yet. In fact, maybe the most ambitious project in the history of cinema. It was an adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s “Merrily We Go Along,” but that wasn’t the intriguing part.
No stranger to ambition, Linklater famously filmed his “Boyhood” over 12 years. However, even that was not enough ambition for him. So, how could he possibly outdo one of the rare films in history? Well, how about shoot ‘Merrily’ over a span of 20 years.
“Merrily We Roll Along” has already been shooting now for three years. Eighteen more to go. Linklater’s project is being shot at various points over the next two decades. Its plot concerns a Broadway composer whose life we learn about through flashbacks. Ben Platt and Beanie Feldstein are part of the main cast.
Jenner has been plagued by domestic abuse allegations, so he’s been pushed out. Mescal is in. It’s not really clear just how much footage was shot with Jenner, but he’s not a lead character, so it’s not headache for Linklater to reshoot his scenes.
I look forward to the film’s 2040 release, probably slotted somewhere between the 57th MCU movie and Fast and Furious 19.