In retrospect, it’s incredible what Richard Linklater was able to pull off with Boyhood, shooting that film over the course of a decade to accurately capture the development of his lead actor. Life doesn’t stop happening just because you’re shooting a movie. So much can, and usually does, go wrong. Linklater is finding that out first hand as he attempts to do the same with his adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along, which has just replaced its star.
Red-hot Aftersun actor Paul Mescal has taken over the lead role in Merrily We Roll Along, replacing Blake Jenner who has been dropped from the film. Why is that? In 2020, Jenner admitted to committing domestic abuse against his ex-wife, Supergirl actress Melissa Benoist. Unsurprisingly, Jenner has only a couple of acting credits in recent years.
So Jenner had to go, and in steps Mescal who is a legit Best Actor contender for his performance in Aftersun. Mescal also recently signed on to star in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator sequel.
Mescal joins a cast that includes Beanie Feldstein and Ben Platt. The story, told in reverse chronological order over 20 years, follows the career of a Broadway composer who leaves the theatre world behind to make it big in Hollywood.
What’s unclear is how Linklater is handling such a major change at the top. Scenes with Jenner had already been filmed, specifically for the “Our Time” sequence, so we have to assume those scenes were reshot. But then again, crazy stuff is being done with technology nowadays, so who knows?
Assuming life doesn’t get in the way again, we can look to see Merrily We Roll Along in…oh, 2042 maybe? [Above the Line]
