The Sondheim musical that hit Broadway in 1981 spans a 20-year stretch from 1957-76, and it’s based on a play from the same name by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart in 1934.
Linklater’s remake of the musical for the big-screen will track stars Ben Platt and Beanie Feldstein in real life over the course of 20 years — in true Linklater fashion — according to Collider.com.
This is not Linklater’s first time to film a movie for more than a decade. His Boyhood flick traversed 12 years before hitting theaters in 2004, earning six Oscar nominations in the effort.
Merrily We Roll Along is a story about Franklin Shepard, a talented Broadway musical composer who ditches all of his friends to become a Hollywood movie producer. The play and musical both begin during the height of Shepard’s movie producing career and then goes backwards in time to show pivotal moments that helped shape Franklin Shepard’s life.
The story illustrates how Franklin Shepard went from a broke composer to a wealthy producer. According to Collider, Platt will play the role of Shepard, and Feldstein will play the role of movie critic Mary Flynn, Franklin’s best friend.
The story ends when the stars of the show are in their mid-20’s and Franklin is the broke composer. So when the movie is complete and ready to hit the big screen, Platt will be 45, Feldstein will be 46 and Linklater will be 79, according to thefilmstage.com.
Ginger Sledge, a longtime producer with Linklater, is slated to produce the movie version of Merrily We Roll Along.
Platt’s acting pedigree includes the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen and the first two Pitch Perfect movies. He’s also in the upcoming Netflix series The Politician.
Feldstein has starred in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, Lady Bird and Book Smart.
Platt and Feldstein have already acted in a movie together in the indie hit The Female Brain.
Linklater’s movie index includes the aforementioned Boyhood, as well as other well-known movies like Dazed and Confused, Slacker, Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, School of Rock and many other films.
This is also far from the first time a Sondheim musical has been adapted for the silver screen. Disney adapted his dark take on fairy tales, Into the Woods in 2014. The 2007 Tim Burton-directed, Johnny Depp-starring Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street was also based on one of Sondheim’s most popular modern musicals. Steven Spielberg is currently filming an updated version of West Side Story, due to be released December 18, 2020.
