Beanie Feldstein and Ben Platt Set For Richard Linklater's Next Movie

Boyhoodwas one of the most acclaimed films of the decade, scoring a perfect 100 on Metacritic and cementing Patricia Arquette's status as one of our great living actors. But one of the chief criticisms of the movie -- which chronicles 12 years in the life of Mason, a young, white boy growing up in Texas -- is that its attempt at universality didn't resonate with viewers who weren't straight, white, and male.

On at least two of those fronts, director Richard Linklater's new time-lapse project is ready to move forward -- or, shall we say,roll along.

Beanie Feldstein and Ben Platt will be starring in Linklater's adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical Merrily We Roll Along. Although School of Rock was later adapted into a successful stage show, it will be the auteur's first attempt at a film musical.

The musical has something of a Citizen Kane structure, which makes it a good fit for Linklater's decade-spanning style: A Hollywood producer who ditched his friends and his Broadway career for looks back at the choices that got him where he is. The show is structured as a series of flashbacks, and the film adaptation will be shot over 20 years to capture the gaps in time.

Blake Jenner, who starred in Linklater's baseball comedy Everybody Wants Some!!, has reportedly been cast in the lead role of Franklin Shepard, while Feldstein will portray his friend, theater critic Mary Flynn. Platt's role has yet to be announced.

For Feldstein and Platt, being cast in such a high-profile project shortly after coming out is a major coup. At one time, that was viewed as the kiss of death for any actor who hoped to enjoy mainstream success in Hollywood. As recently as nine years ago, openly bisexual British actor Rupert Everett was still advising fellow LGBTQ+ thespians to stay in the closet -- although he now says he never said that.

But after Feldstein revealed in March that her partner is a woman and Platt opened up about his sexuality in a February music video, the two are doing just fine. Feldstein just appeared in Booksmart and four episodes of FX's What We Do in the Shadows, and she is set for two more adaptations: of Caitlyn Moran's novel How to Build a Girl and the Tony-winning play The Humans. Platt stars in Broken Diamonds, the new film from Peter Sattler (Camp X-Ray) set to be released in 2019.

Both actors will also be juggling the filming schedule for Merrily We Roll Along with a pair of Ryan Murphy projects. Feldstein is set to portray Monica Lewinsky in the upcoming season of American Crime Story, which is focused on the Bill Clinton impeachment scandal, while Platt will star in Murphy's upcoming The Politician, set to drop on Netflix next month.

If Feldstein has one regret about balancing Murphy and Sondheim, it's undoubtedly that -- as herLady Bird character might complain -- she doesn't get to play the titular part in Merrily We Roll Along. Perhaps in Linklater's version, the roll will finally have its day. I hope its Charmin.

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