Richard Linklater resumes filming ‘Merrily We Roll Along’: fourth segment starts in a few months, film to finish in 2040

Richard Linklater, the director of “Boyhood”, has announced that filming on his most ambitious project to date, the film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Merrily We Roll Along”, will resume in a few months. According to Variety, Linklater made the announcement during a masterclass held at the Zurich Film Festival, confirming that work is proceeding as planned.

The project is built in nine segments filmed over a 20-year period, a structure that allows the characters to develop in real time. Filming began in 2019 and the first three segments have already been completed; the fourth segment is expected to start within a few months, while the whole film is expected to be finished around 2040.

The cast stars Paul Mescal, Ben Platt and Beanie Feldstein. Linklater said he was pleased with the pace of work and the punctuality of the long-term plan, stressing that the project will be completed within the planned two-decade timeframe.

Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll Along”, which premiered on Broadway in 1981, is known for its reverse chronological structure, telling the story of the friendship and betrayal of three artists over two decades. Linklater, who with “Boyhood” (2014), filmed over 12 years and nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture, turned this approach into a modern classic, appears to be taking the method even further with this adaptation.