Paul Mescal will replace Blake Jenner in Richard Linklater's musical Merrily We Roll Along

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Director Richard Linklater's ambitious musical adaptation Merrily We Roll Along has found a new star in Paul Mescal.The 26-year-old Aftersun star will replace Blake Jenner, who bowed out of the film in 2019 after domestic abuse allegations surfaced from his ex-wife Melissa Benoist, via Above the Line.

The project was first announced in August 2019, with the filmmaker shooting the project over a whopping 20-year time period, much like his film Boyhood which was shot over a 12-year time frame.

New star: Director Richard Linklater's ambitious musical adaptation Merrily We Roll Along has found a new star in Paul Mescal Replacing Blake: The 26-year-old Aftersun star will replace Blake Jenner, who bowed out of the film in 2019 after domestic abuse allegations surfaced from his ex-wife Melissa Benoist, via Above the Line The project is a film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s 1981 stage musical of the same name.The story follows Franklin Shepard (Mescal), a successful Broadway composer who leaves his career and friends behind to become a Hollywood film producer.

The story is told in reverse chronological order, starting with his longtime friend and theater critic Mary (Beanie Feldstein) chastising him as a sell-out, and ending 20 years earlier with Franklin, Mary and Franklin's lyricist Charley (Ben Platt) as 'fresh-faced hopefuls.' Character: The story follows Franklin Shepard (Mescal), a successful Broadway composer who leaves his career and friends behind to become a Hollywood film producerMescal has already filmed a segment of the sprawling project, which Linklater will film segments of each year over the next two decades, like he did with Boyhood.'I first saw, and fell in love with ‘Merrily’ in the ’80s.