Ben Platt Reveals Progress on MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG Film

 

Before taking the stage to perform at the GRAMMYs, Ben Platt shared an update on the progress of the Merrily We Roll Along film.

Directed by Richard Linklater, the film is set to be shot across the next twenty years and in reverse chronological order. Beanie Feldstein and Blake Jenner will join Platt in the new adaption.

Platt revealed to Grammys.com that they have completed the first sequence of the upcoming film and are set to film again in late 2023.

"We were meant to sit down and have dinner with Rick Linklater, Beanie [Feldstein] and Jonathan Mark Sherman to talk about our Merrily We Roll Along project. But we didn't get it together in time before we lost him," Platt stated.

Platt also discussed the significance and meaning behind the upcoming film.

"This is a very special once in a lifetime situation that is definitely a leap of faith for all involved. I think everybody, particularly those that know and love 'Merrily,' what a particularly special opportunity it is to make this piece work in a way that it never has before."

Ben Platt performed a medley of Stephen Sondheim songs during the In Memoriam at the GRAMMYs, alongside Cynthia Erivo, Rachel Zegler, and Leslie Odom Jr. Watch a clip from the performance here.

About Merrily We Roll Along:

Merrily We Roll Along is the musical adaptation of George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart's play of the same name. The show centers around a trio of friends: Franklin Shepard, Charley Kringas, and Mary Flynn. The show begins in 1976 with Frank, who, having once been a talented composer of Broadway musicals, having now abandoned his friends and his songwriting career to become a producer of Hollywood movies.

The show's narrative then shows the events of the trio's lives in reverse chronological order, ending in 1957. The musical has a score by Stephen Sondheim and a book by George Furth, and the original production was directed by Harold Prince.

Photo Credit: Jennifer Broski