Jason Blum Shares Update on MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG Film from Richard Linklater

Jason Blum, CEO of production company Blumhouse, is excited to be entering the musical theater space with the film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along. 

Though best known for horror titles, Blum is producing the Richard Linklater-directed movie, which isn't due out until the 2040s. Like the stage musical, it will tell the story backwards and, to further capture that sense of time passing, the movie is being shot over the span of 20 years with Paul Mescal, Ben Platt, and Beanie Feldstein.

"We’re in it for 20 years. We’ve been doing it for five; we’ve only got 15 left," said the producer in an interview with Variety. He went on to praise both Linklater and Universal, who are funding the movie. 

"It’s so f*cking cool what [Linklater] and the creative group are doing. But you have to give it to Universal — no financier would ever do that. Jimmy Horowitz loves musicals — we produced 'Death Becomes Her' together. They really took a flier on this thing, and I believe it will pay off for all involved. It’s very unusual." Check out the full interview at Variety.

The movie, based on the musical by Stephen Sondheim, follows three friends throughout their lives and careers. The cast will be led by Paul Mescal as Franklin Shepard, Ben Platt as Charley Kringas, Beanie Feldstein as Mary Flynn, also starring Mallory Bechtel and Suffs alum Hannah Cruz.

The story begins in 1976 with Frank, who, having once been a talented composer of Broadway musicals, has now abandoned his friends and his songwriting career to become a producer of Hollywood movies. The show's narrative presents the events of the trio's lives in reverse chronological order, ending in 1957. 

Sondheim wrote both the music and lyrics for the musical, which features a book by George Furth. The original production was directed by Harold Prince. The recent Broadway production, directed by Maria Friedman, starred Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe, and Lindsey Mendez. The production was a hit, receiving 7 Tony nominations, and winning 4. The film adaptation was initially announced in 2019, two years before Sondheim's passing.