Merrily We Roll Along musical film acquired by Sony Pictures for distribution

The filmed version of the hit Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Merrily We Roll Along has been acquired for future distribution by Sony Pictures Classics.

A timeline has not been announced, but it is being described as an “immersive film” that ”showcases brilliant and groundbreaking direction by Maria Friedman, illuminating the amazing performances up close and personal, unlike audiences have ever seen before.”

Told backward, Merrily We Roll Along tracks the friendship of Franklin Shepard (Jonathan Groff), Charles Kringas (Daniel Radcliffe), and Mary Flynn (Lindsay Mendez) from jaded middle-age to dreamy early adulthood.

An infamous flop when it first played Broadway in 1981, Merrily We Roll Along was one of the biggest hits of the season, fulfilling the expectation that it would easily win the 2024 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. Friedman directed the production, which debuted at New York Theatre Workshop in 2022 before moving to the Hudson Theatre on Broadway last year.

TheaterMania’s review called Merrily, “one of those transcendent productions I’ll look back on fondly forever.”

In addition to Groff (who won a Tony for his performance), Radcliffe (who also won a Tony), and Mendez (a past Tony winner), the cast features Krystal Joy Brown as Gussie Carnegie, Katie Rose Clarke as Beth Shepard, and Reg Rogers as Joe Josephson.

The company includes Max Rackenberg, Rocco Van Auken, Brady Wagner, Sherz Aletaha, Maya Boyd, Leana Rae Concepcion, Morgan Kirner, Ken Krugman, Corey Mach, Talia Simone Robinson, Amanda Rose, Jamila Sabares-Klemm, Brian Sears, Evan Alexander Smith, Christian Strange, Koray Tarhan, Vishal Vaidya, Natalie Wachen, and Jacob Keith Watson.

This is the second taping of Friedman’s production; it was shot during its original West End run, with a cast led by Mark Umbers, Damian Humbley, and Jenna Russell.