Jonathan Groff and Max Rackenberg Bring Sondheim’s Story Full Circle in ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ [Exclusive]

Sony Pictures Classics’ upcoming theatrical release of Merrily We Roll Along captures a Broadway moment that already feels like part of theatre history. The filmed version of Maria Friedman’s four-time Tony Award-winning revival transforms Stephen Sondheim’s most intimate musical into a cinematic reflection on time, creativity, and loss. As part of Collider’s Exclusive Preview event, we have an exclusive image of Jonathan Groff as composer Franklin Shepard and Max Rackenberg as Frank Jr. in Merrily We Roll Along ahead of its December 5 premiere.

Spanning multiple decades told in reverse, Merrily We Roll Along follows composer Franklin Shepard and his two closest friends, writer Mary Flynn (Lindsay Mendez) and lyricist Charley Kringas (Daniel Radcliffe), as success quietly erodes their shared ideals. By beginning at the end, Sondheim and book writer George Furth invite the audience to walk backward through regret, rediscovering the hope that once defined their bond. Friedman’s revival reframed the story for a new era. Her direction emphasized emotional clarity over irony, focusing on the sincerity in Sondheim’s score rather than the satire. Songs like “Old Friends,” “Not a Day Goes By,” and “Our Time” became touchstones for a generation rediscovering the musical’s emotional core. What began as a misunderstood experiment found its perfect form, and the Hudson Theatre production became one of Broadway’s most acclaimed revivals in decades.

A Revival That Redefined a Sondheim Classic

The film version preserves that achievement. Captured live with RadicalMedia’s signature precision, the cinematic format deepens the show’s intimacy rather than expanding it. Groff’s presence beside Rackenberg in the exclusive image speaks to the musical’s generational rhythm: a dialogue between past and present, between who we were and who we become. Produced by Sonia Friedman, RadicalMedia, and David Babani, the film ensures that Merrily We Roll Along will endure far beyond Broadway’s lights. The production shattered the Hudson’s box-office records, won multiple Tony and Olivier Awards, and reignited a global conversation about Sondheim’s legacy. Through this filmed adaptation, Friedman offers not only preservation but renewal.

Merrily We Roll Along premieres in theaters on December 5. Stay tuned for more from Collider’s Winter Exclusive Preview event coverage, spanning the most exciting television and film releases in the coming months.

Release Date

December 5, 2025

Director

Maria Friedman

Writers

George Furth, Moss Hart, George S. Kaufman, Stephen Sondheim

Producers

Dave Sirulnick, Jon Kamen, Sonia Friedman, David Babani, Patrick Catullo, F. Richard Pappas