Richard Linklater to spend twenty years making another film

15 October 2026

The American director, whose credits include Boyhood, and the Before trilogy, began filming Merrily We Roll Along in 2019. The story spans twenty years, and Linklater wants the characters, portrayed by Paul Mescal, Beanie Feldstein, and Ben Platt, to be seen ageing over this time.

He has to be commended for not trying to achieve this some other way.

Stories playing out across lengthy time frames are Linklater’s forte. Boyhood, was filmed over twelve years, while the three Before stories were made nine years apart, between 1995 and 2013.

With Merrily We Roll Along we have to wait until around 2040 to see if the two decade time investment was worthwhile. I doubt Linklater will disappoint though.

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film, film production, Richard Linklater