‘Boyhood’ Director Richard Linklater’s New Project Is Reportedly Going To Take At Least 20 Years To Make

To make his 2014 film Boyhood a reality, director Richard Linklater periodically shot actors Patricia Arquette, Ellar Coltrane, Lorelei Linklater and Ethan Hawke over the course of 12 years. The end result garnered plenty of critical acclaim, including several Academy Award nominations and an Oscar statue for Arquette. Since then, Linklater has busied himself with much smaller, less time-consuming fare, but according to a new report, it seems he’s about to embark on yet another length project.

According to Collider, Broadway star Ben Platt and Booksmart breakout Beanie Feldstein will co-star in Linklater’s brewing adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s musical Merrily We Roll Along, the story of which takes place over 20 years. The filmmaker’s longtime collaborator, Ginger Sledge, is producing the project with him. What’s more, Collider’s report is also claiming that sources familiar with the project are saying that Jason Blum’s Blumhouse banner is getting involved.

The story follows the life of Broadway composer turned Hollywood star Franklin Shepard, who abandons his beginnings in New York for fame on the west coast. This includes abandoning his friends, among them the theater critic Mary Flynn. Platt will play Shepard and Feldstein is expected to portray Flynn. Interestingly, while Boyhood was both shot and edited chronologically, Merrily We Roll Along‘s story actually takes place in reverse. So, if and when this 20-year project is successfully completed, it will actually begin with Platt and Feldstein’s older selves and travel back in time.

Needless to say, news of the report quickly spread online and engulfed social media in a predictably diverse array of gleeful celebrations and snarky jokes.

https://twitter.com/anylaurie16/status/1167170970919981056

Even Blumhouse’s official Twitter account got in on the action. They seemingly confirmed the news, though with a joke.

And then there’s Kevin Daly, a Twitter user who, back when Boyhood came out in 2014, joked that someone should do something similar with Merrily We Roll Along. Well…

(Via Collider)