Richard Linklater Adds New Cast To Next Film “Blue Moon”

Richard Linklater is a busy man, and this year, he has displayed his range as a storyteller by releasing his twisted rom-com Hit Man and heartfelt documentary in just a matter of months — and already he has his eyes set on the future.

He currently has five titles lined up as director, including a decades-spanning stage-to-screen adaptation of Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along starring Paul Mescal, Ben Platt, Beanie Feldstein and Mallory Bechtel, but his next project — Deadline reveals — is Blue Moon.

Filming in Dublin, Ireland, this summer, the film depicts Lorenz Hart's final days as he struggles with alcoholism and his mental health as he tries to save face during the opening of the hit musical "Oklahoma!".

Robert Kaplow will pen the script, and Ethan Hawke will star alongside Margaret Qualley, Bobby Cannavale and Andrew Scott.

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Deadline shared a statement from Linklater, who said, "Robert, Ethan, and I have been developing this story for over a decade and are excited and grateful that the time has come to bring this to life."

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired worldwide rights, and a spokesperson for the studio and Renovo Media Group said, "Almost a year ago, Rick, Ethan, and John reached out to us with Robert Kaplow's amazing script Blue Moon. Helping them over the following months to bring it together has been incredibly exciting, and now, on the verge of production, with this fantastic cast and crew in place and Rick at the helm, we are thrilled to finally announce it and bring the film to audiences everywhere in the world."

The release date for Blue Moon is TBA.