West Side Story began as a musical created by Arthur Laurents, Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein as a modern take on William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The story is set in 1950s New York and it follows two rival street gangs, the Jets and the Sharks, who from different ethnic backgrounds. This particular adaptation of the Broadway musical was a huge success, winning 10 Academy Awards, so even a great filmmaker like Steven Spielberg will have the bar set high.
It has been a whopping 50 years since anyone has attempted to remake the musical, but the new remake promises to bring back the story in a new way. The movie will be led by a young fresh of fresh air with a diverse cast, including Baby Driver star Ansel Elgort as Tony and newcomer Rachel Zegler as Maria. These two will take centre stage of the love story in West Side Story and the cast will also include Ariana DeBose as Anita, David Alvarez as Bernardo, Mike Faist as Riff, Corey Stoll and Brian D’Arcy as police officers, and original West Side Story movie star Rita Moreno as Valentina.
West Side Story is an American romantic musical drama film directed and co-produced by Steven Spielberg, with a screenplay by Tony Kushner and choreography by Justin Peck. The film is an adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical of the same name by Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, which is based loosely on William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
The film’s screenplay is expected to hew more closely to the Broadway script than to the 1961 film adaptation directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. It stars Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler, with Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Mike Faist, Josh Andrés Rivera, Ana Isabelle, Corey Stoll and Brian d’Arcy James, as well as Rita Moreno, a star of the 1961 film, appearing in a supporting role.
The film started development in 2014 by 20th Century Fox, and Kushner was writing the screenplay by 2017. In January 2018 Spielberg was hired, and casting began by September 2018. Filming began in July 2019 and wrapped up two months later. Shooting occurred in New York and New Jersey. West Side Story is scheduled to be released by 20th Century Studios in the United States on December 10, 2021, after being delayed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Filming took place in Harlem and other Manhattan locations and in Flatlands, Brooklyn in New York City in July 2019. There were ten days of shooting in Paterson, New Jersey, where an outdoor set was built, in August 2019. Filming also took place in Newark and other parts of Essex County, New Jersey. It wrapped on September 27, 2019.
Composer David Newman arranged and adapted Bernstein’s original score for the film. Gustavo Dudamel, music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted the orchestra during the film’s recording sessions, with Jeanine Tesori serving as vocal coach.
West Side Story was initially scheduled to be released in the United States on December 18, 2020 by 20th Century Studios. In September 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, parent company Disney delayed the release date to December 10, 2021, which will coincide with the 60th anniversary of the release of the original 1961 film.
West Side and Spielberg
ust when you needed a good excuse to dance around the house singing showtunes, Disney has delivered. Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story remake finally premiered its first official teaser trailer last night during the Oscars, and it looks stunning. In Hollywood’s apparent quest to revive every classic film, this is one we can actually get excited about. The adaptation of the iconic 1957 Broadway musical is Steven Spielberg’s dream production, and it sure looks like all his dreams—and diehard fans’ wishes—came true.
As a kid growing up in Phoenix, Arizona in the late 1950s, Spielberg fell in love with the West Side Story soundtrack by the legendary composer Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. “I grew up surrounded by classical music,” the director told Vanity Fair. “West Side Story was actually the first piece of popular music our family ever allowed into the home. I absconded with it—this was the cast album from the 1957 Broadway musical—and just fell completely in love with it as a kid. West Side Story has been that one haunting temptation that I have finally given in to.” Lucky for fans, Spielberg’s vision came to life and will hit theaters soon. Here’s everything we know about the new West Side Story.
All about West Side Story 1961 original movie.
West Side Story (2021)
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Mike Faist, Josh Andrés Rivera, Ana Isabelle, Corey Stoll, Brian d’Arcy James, Rita Moreno, Paloma Garcia
Screenplay by: Tony Kushner
Production Design by: Adam Stockhausen
Cinematography by: Janusz Kamiński
Film Editing by: Michael Kahn, Sarah Broshar
Costume Design by: Paul Tazewell
Set Decoration by: Rena DeAngelo, Ken Chocolate
Art Direction by: Ryan Heck, Deborah Jensen, Hinju Kim, Nithya Shrinivasan, Deborah Wheatley
Music by: Leonard Bernstein
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: 20th Century Studios
Release Date: December 10, 2021 (United States)
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