I think I might tinker with doing a version of this myself - if I do I’ll happily share with you any ideas or solutions I come up with for some of this stuff. (Not saying I’ll make a thread on or even publicly release my version, this just sounds like a fun puzzle to work on!)
A fun puzzle to work on is exactly how I would describe working on it. It was maddening at times, but I also feel like I learned a ton, not only about story telling, but about the inner workings of premiere pro too. One day I’ll take the time to type up the story of my failed 1080p version and the mysterious variable frame rate that neither I or an expert friend could figure out.