Linklater's 20-Year 'Merrily' Experiment Is Still Moving Forward

Richard Linklater pulled back the curtain on his wildest project yet at the Zurich Film Festival — the long-form experiment adapting Merrily We Roll Along, the Stephen Sondheim musical that follows three friends over decades. The director's been shooting it real, across 20 years, with Paul Mescal, Ben Platt, and Beanie Feldstein aging naturally in real time.

In a progress report to the fest crowd, Linklater broke down where things stand and made it clear he's not trippin' about the logistics or the pressure. Dude's done this before — Boyhood took 12 years and worked. The difference here? A whole musical trying to capture the bittersweet collapse of ambition and friendship.

It's ambitious to the point of being almost reckless, but that's kind of the point. Most people won't even attempt something this long-form in this climate. Linklater betting on the vision, on the cast, on time itself being part of the story. Whether it lands or crashes, it's the kind of swing you respect in an industry that's forgotten how to take real risks.

Stay tuned for more updates as this thing develops.

Read the full story at The Hollywood Reporter → https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/richard-linklater-merrily-we-roll-along-film-update-zurich-1236713752/