Paul Mescal is replacing Blake Jenner in the decade-spanning production of the movie musical of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

Richard Linklater will be directing the project, which is being backed by Blumhouse, and will shoot over a 20-year span. (The director shot his Oscar-winning Boyhood over 12 years.)

The much-beloved musical, based on the 1934 play of the same name by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, follows Franklin Shepard, a talented composer of Broadway musicals who abandons his friends and career to become a producer of Hollywood movies. The story begins at the height of his Hollywood fame and moves backwards in time, showing important moments in Frank’s life.

Mescal will play the lead role of Broadway composer Franklin Shepard, which was previously meant to be played by Jenner. After being cast, Jenner was embroiled in allegations of domestic abuse.

In November 2019, actress Melissa Benoist posted a 14-minute Instagram video during which she spoke of being a survivor of domestic violence. At the time, Benoist did not name her abuser. In October 2020 Jenner, who was previously married to Benoist, took to social media where he apologized for an abusive relationship, writing that he took “full responsibility and accountability for the hurt that I inflicted during my relationship with my past partner — emotionally, mentally, and yes, physically.” (Jenner, who also lodged claims of abuse against his former partner, also did not name the partner he was referring to in his post.)

Mescal will join a previously announced cast that includes Beanie Feldstein and Ben Platt. The project, announced four years ago, completed its first segment of filming in August 2019. Ginger Sledge will produce with Jason Blum for Blumhouse, along with Jonathan Marc Sherman and Linklater.

Mescal, who broke out in Hulu series Normal People, was recently cast in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator sequel. He has earned acclaim this past year for his work in Cannes standout Aftersun.

Above the Line first reported this news.

This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.

Lizzo took a moment on a Sunday morning to share her concerns about cancel culture.

“This may be a random time to say this but it’s on my heart.. cancel culture is appropriation,” Lizzo tweeted on Sunday (Jan. 8).

“There was real outrage from truly marginalized people and now it’s become trendy, misused and misdirected,” she wrote.

Lizzo continued: “I hope we can phase out of this & focus our outrage on the real problems.”

Just days before, the “About Damn Time” singer had taken to social media to shut down the “tired” “discourse around bodies.”

 “I’ve seen comments go from, ‘Oh my gosh, I liked you when you were thick. Why did you lose weight?’ ‘Oh my gosh, why did you get a BBL? I liked your body before.’ ‘Oh my gosh, you’re so big. You need to lose weight but for your health’ to ‘Oh my gosh, you’re so little. You need to get a– or titties or something.’ ‘Oh my gosh, why did she get all that work done? It’s too much work,’” she said in a TikTok video on Friday.

She continued, “Are we OK? Do you see the delusion? Do you realize that artists are not here to fit into your beauty standards? Artists are here to make art. And this body is art. I’mma do whatever I want with this body. I wish that comments costed y’all money so we could see how much time we are f—ing wasting on the wrong thing. Can we leave that s— back there please?”

See Lizzo’s latest message to her fans below.

SZA’s SOS makes it a month at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, as the album spends a fourth straight and total week atop the list (dated Jan. 14). It earned 125,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Jan. 5 (down 2%), according to Luminate.

SOS is the first album by a woman to spend its first four weeks at No. 1 in a year, since Adele’s 30 ruled for its first six weeks (Dec. 4, 2021 through Jan. 8, 2022-dated charts) and is the first album by a woman to have four consecutive weeks at No. 1 since 30’s six week-run at No. 1.

SOS is also the first R&B album by a woman to have four weeks at No. 1 since February of 2008, when Alicia Keys’ As I Am notched a fourth and final nonconsecutive week atop the list (Feb. 16, 2008). More strikingly, SOS is the first R&B album by a woman to spend its first four weeks at No. 1 in nearly 30 years, since Janet Jackson’s janet. ruled for its first six frames (June 5-July 10, 1993). (R&B albums are defined as those that have hit or are eligible for Billboard’s Top R&B Albums chart.)

Also in the top 10: holiday albums vacate the region (and chart) entirely after five dotted the top 10 a week ago, while ATEEZ notches its second top 10-charting album, as Spin Off: From the Witness debuts at No. 7.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Jan. 14, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Jan. 10. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Of SOS’ 125,000 equivalent album units earned, SEA units comprise 121,500 (down 4%, equaling 162.42 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks), album sales comprise 3,000 (up 289%) and TEA units comprise 500 (down 7%). SOS got a sales boost following the release of two new digital album variants of the set, released late on Jan. 5 exclusively in SZA’s Top Dawg Entertainment webstore. The two versions included two bonus tracks (“PSA” and a solo version of the album’s “Open Arms”) and sold for $4.99 each, and one of them boasted alternative cover art. SZA promoted the release on her social media, including her official Twitter.

The rest of the top six on the Billboard 200 consists of former No. 1s. Taylor Swift’s Midnights is a non-mover at No. 2 (117,000 equivalent album units; up 10%). The set’s album sales grew by 7% for the week (to 58,000) following the release of four new digital album variants in Swift’s webstore for one day only on Jan. 5. Each had alternative cover art, an exclusive bonus track (a short “behind the song” commentary from Swift about one of four different songs on the album) and sold for $4.99 each. The four alternative covers, if combined, would complete a clock face image – similar to the back covers of her CD and vinyl LP variants. Swift promoted the limited-time offer in her Instagram Stories.

Metro Boomin’s Heroes & Villains rises 4-3 (57,000 equivalent album units; down 2%), Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss bumps 6-4 (52,000; up 4%), Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti climbs 7-5 (50,000; up 4%) and Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album jumps 11-6 (42,000; up 6%).

ATEEZ collect its second top 10-charting album on the Billboard 200 as Spin Off: From the Witness debuts at No. 7. The set starts with 41,500 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 40,000; SEA units comprise 1,500 (equaling 2.11 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum.

CDs comprise a little over 39,000 of Spin Off’s sales for the week, while digital album purchases comprise 1,000. Like many K-pop releases, the CD configuration of Spin Off was issued in collectible deluxe packages (six), each with a standard set of items and randomized elements (photocards and posters).

ATEEZ previously visited the top 10 with The World EP.1: Movement last June, debuting and peaking at No. 3.

Rounding out the Billboard 200’s new top 10: Zach Bryan’s American Heartbreak (22-8 with 33,000 equivalent album units; up 12%), Lil Baby’s chart-topping It’s Only Me (20-9 with 32,000; up 6%) and Harry Styles’ former No. 1 Harry’s House (19-10 with 29,000; down 4%). Bryan continues to benefit from his guest appearance in the Dec. 18 episode of the hit show Yellowstone, which has prominently featured his music in previous episodes.

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.