Richard Linklater’s ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ Now Produced by Universal — Release in the 2040s Still Eyed

Richard Linklater’s latest—and most ambitious—cinematic experiment is an adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll Along,” famously told in reverse chronological order. Linklater’s plan is to film it across 20 years, in what will likely become the most ambitious movie musical ever made.

So, we’re now in year six. The project, being shot intermittently, began production in 2019, allowing the actors to age naturally in real time. This same approach earned Linklater acclaim with “Boyhood” in 2014, which charted a boy’s life across 12 years. With “Merrily,” the scope is even broader than that one.

So, who’s funding this thing? That’s something that had yet to be reported—until now. Jason Blum, CEO of Blumhouse, is one of the producers, and he tells Variety the film’s “only got 15 [years] left.” He went on to praise both Linklater and Universal, who, it turns out, is funding the film.

“It’s so f*cking cool what [Linklater] and the creative group are doing. But you have to give it to Universal—no financier would ever do that. Jimmy Horowitz loves musicals—we produced ‘Death Becomes Her’ together. They really took a flier on this thing, and I believe it will pay off for all involved. It’s very unusual.” Check out the full interview at Variety.

Honestly, if this 20-year production actually reaches completion, it’ll be nothing short of miraculous. Life is unpredictable, and you never know what might happen over two decades. They’ve already had to replace the original lead (Blake Jenner) following abuse allegations, and it’s hard to imagine the next 15 years going completely smoothly. For Linklater’s sake, hopefully any future challenges are minor enough not to derail the whole project.

The movie, based on Sondheim’s musical, follows three friends throughout their lives and careers. The cast is led by Paul Mescal, Ben Platt, and Beanie Feldstein, with Mallory Bechtel and Hannah Cruz also starring. I recently reported that Lin-Manuel Miranda also shot some scenes this summer in Austin.

In a 2024 interview with Decider, Linklater confirmed that the film is “technically a third of the way through” and explained that production continues every few years according to a schedule that mirrors the natural passage of time. “The actors evolve with the characters,” Linklater said. “It’s about capturing life as it happens.”

The film follows Franklin Shepard, a once-promising composer who abandons his friends and ideals to pursue success in Hollywood. The story unfolds in reverse, beginning in 1976 and moving backward to 1957 to reveal the characters’ youthful ambitions and the friendships they once cherished.

The final film likely won’t see release until at least 2040—a timeline that might seem absurd, but for Linklater, who will be in his 70s by then, it makes perfect sense given his lifelong fascination with the passage of time, most notably depicted in films such as “Boyhood” and the “Before” trilogy.

I look forward to the film’s 2040 release, probably slotted in the summer—somewhere between the 57th MCU movie, Avatar and “Fast & Furious in Space.”