Talented Broadway composer Franklin Shepard abandons his friends and career to become a Hollywood producer, told over the course of 20 years in reverse chronological order.[1]
On August 29, 2019, Blumhouse Productions acquired the rights to make a Merrily We Roll Along film, with Richard Linklater directing the film and producing along with Ginger Sledge, Jason Blum, and Jonathan Marc Sherman. Ben Platt, Beanie Feldstein and Blake Jenner were cast to star in the film. Production on the film was announced to commence every couple of years to reflect the characters age over 20 years, similar to how Boyhood (also written and directed by Linklater) was shot over 12 years.[1] The film is based on the latest version of Furth's book, which was adapted by Linklater into the film's screenplay.[3]
Jenner exited the film in late 2019 (following the filming of the "Our Time" sequence) following allegations of domestic abuse made by his ex-wife Melissa Benoist. Paul Mescal took over the role of Franklin Shepard proceeding forward, and the sequence was reshot between late 2021 and early 2022.[4]Principal photography and the casting of supporting roles were suspended from August 2023 to November 8, 2023, due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes and have now resumed since the strikes have ended.[5] In February 2024, Mallory Bechtel was cast in an undisclosed role.[2]Isabela Merced also auditioned for the role.[6] By November 2024, two sequences had been shot.[7]
