Director Spielberg and 20th Century Fox have released the first images of his upcoming version of West Side Story, a remake of the classic musical which swept the Oscars in 1961.
In production right now, the musical, a reworking of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, is about young love and the tension between rival gangs the Jets and the Sharks on the streets of 1957 New York.
Ansel Elgort stars as Tony and Rachel Zegler as Maria, the star-crossed lovers, alongside a host of other cast members in the first picture.
Spielberg is adapting the original Broadway musical, which was inspired by Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” and written by Arthur Laurents, with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and direction and choreography by Jerome Robbins. Walt Disney Studios will release the film in December 2020.
Tony Kushner, Oscar-nominated screenwriter (Lincoln) and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright (Angels in America) has penned the script for the movie.
Tony Award winner Justin Peck will choreograph the musical numbers.
The film’s music team includes Gustavo Dudamel of the L.A. Philharmonic, who will conduct the recording of Bernstein’s iconic score.