Paul Mescal to replace Blake Jenner in Merrily We Roll Along

Actor Paul Mescal is said to replace Blake Jenner in the upcoming musical Merrily We Roll Along, The Hollywood Reporter reported. 

Directed by Richard Linklater, the film is produced by Blumhouse. The production of the film is said to span over a decade. Based on the 1934 play of the same name by George S Kaufman and Moss Hart, the story follows a composer of Broadway musicals, Franklin Shepard, who abandons his friends and career to become a producer of Hollywood movies. The film begins in a phase when Shepard is at the peak of his fame and it goes back in time. 

Mescal will reportedly play the lead role, Shepard, which was previously meant to be played by Jenner. The film also stars Beanie Feldstein and Ben Platt. Merrily We Roll Along was announced four years ago, and the production of the first segment was completed in August 2019. It is produced by Jason Blum for Blumhouse with Jonathan Marc Sherman and Linklater. On the other hand, it may be noted  Jenner was named in a domestic abuse allegation.