Linklater’s MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG Film - News & Discussion Thread — Page 2

I was just thinking about this yesterday. One of the things I found most moving about Boyhood was that, in addition to seeing the actors age, we got to see the world change around them. Outdated technology or passing fads weren't inserted as cheap references, but because they were actual aspects of living in middle America at the time the movie was being filmed. Seeing a Gameboy or a defunct chain restaurant in Boyhood hit me in a way that a movie shot today wouldn't.

Merrily is a period piece. If you're already going to have to build sets and source props to recreate 1950s to 1970s New York, then filming in real time doesn't seem like it would have as much as an impact as it did in Boyhood. Unless they're doing some radical reinterpretation of the material where it's updated to take place in the 2010s to 2030s.

I loved Boyhood, so the idea of filming over time is not an issue with me per se; however, given years they are taking for this film, so much can go wrong. I continue to think this is a really dumb idea; probably angry because the probability that I will ever see this gets less likely without any delays to make things worse. If it turns out to be a masterpiece, at least it will live forward.

Great choice! Interesting to see if by the time this film comes out Cruz will be a much bigger star. Would be like the show if we meet her at the end during "Opening Doors" and she's the young and up and coming actress we know her to be these days. Good for her!

If this is being filmed over the next 20 years what happens if (God forbid) one of the leading cast members unexpectedly passes away? What do they do then?

Linklater has done this with several films already. I know that he asked Ethan Hawke to replace him as director on Boyhood if anything would have happened to him over the years they shot it. It's a risk, of course, and that's what makes his films so thrilling. I can't wait to finally see this one day.

I don’t see where the whole aging thing over 20 years will have that much impact on the final product. The cast is quite capable of aging appropriately. That is why they call it acting and seeing actors do that with believability is magical. The taped version of the recent Broadway revival could very well turn out to be superior.

CarlosAlberto said: "If this is being filmed over the next 20 years what happens if (God forbid) one of the leading cast members unexpectedly passes away? What do they do then?"

For sure there's risk, but in some ways this is moving along pretty fast. For example, Universal Pictures first optioned Wicked as a movie in 1998, but didn't begin principle photography until 2022.

With Merrily, a chunk of the movie is already shot, and Blumhouse is producing it, meaning the budget is probably pretty modest. So the risk mitigation is keeping it low budget and not having to go decades of development without anything to show for it.

BrodyFosse123 said: "Linklater’s concept is to film this throughout 20 years. He is filming scenes in fragments every few years. The cast is contractually locked in so whenever he feels the need to film some more, schedules are accommodated. This isn’t a traditional shooting schedule. He may film 1-2 days or a full week every few years."



Well, yes!