After “Gladiator 2”: The shooting star secures the next top role – and plays it for 20 years

Paul Mescal (“Aftersun”) is currently the shooting star of the hour. In the battle for the lead role in Ridley Scott’s historic film sequel “Gladiator 2”, the up-and-coming acting talent managed to prevail against several well-known competitors, including Top Gun 2: Maverick star Miles Teller, “Elvis” actor Austin Butler or Timothée Chalamet (“Dune” ). But starring in the highly anticipated Gladiator sequel isn’t the only high-profile role the actor has landed.

how Paul Mescal now replaces singer and actor Blake Jenner (“Supergirl”) in Richard Linklater’s latest film project, Merrily We Roll Along. Special about the movie: Like his ambitious drama “Boyhood”, which was shot over a period of twelve years, “Merrily We Roll Along” will also be a long-running film project. The musical based on a play by Stephen Sondheim from the 1930s must emerge over a period of 20 years (!).

Ambitious film project with long-term plans

The actor joins Ben Platt (“Dear Evan Hansen”) and Beanie Feldstein (“Booksmart”), who were cast in the summer of 2019. Blake Jenner, previously considered to be the lead actor, had already shot some scenes for the film, but left the project when allegations of domestic violence at the hands of his ex-wife Melissa Benoist (“Supergirl” lead actress) surfaced.

Paul Mescal plays Franklin Shepard, a gifted Broadway composer who gave up his career and friends to produce movies in Los Angeles. Like the play, the musical begins at the height of his Hollywood fame and goes back in time. Snapshots from the most important stations in Frank’s life show how the film producer became the person viewers see at the beginning of the performance. The play is thus told backwards, from the present to the past.

For his film adaptation, Richard Linklater will shoot individual scenes from Franklin Shepard’s life with the same actors over the next 20 years. Incidentally, the film should not be shown in cinemas until 2040 at the earliest (some scenes were already shot in 2019) – then the director would be a proud 82 years old.