West Side Story movie: Everything we know so far

Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story is starting to come together after several casting reveals. Here’s everything we know so far about the project.

When it was first announced that a new film adaption to West Side Story was in development, many were not surprised since we live in a time of reboots and remakes. However, the bigger surprise was that the director of this new musical adaptation would be Oscar winner Steven Spielberg.

The 1961 film version of West Side Story won 10 Oscars, including Best Picture, so there’s a lot of pressure on Spielberg to meet the high expectations of fans. With filming set to begin later this year, here’s everything we know so far…

Cast

The first casting announcement came in October 2018 when Ansel Elgort had been cast as Tony. Also previously announced was the casting of Rita Moreno, who won an Oscar for her portrayal of Anita in the 1961 film. Moreno will play Valentina, which is a reconvened version of Doc, who owned the corner store where Tony works.

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Yesterday, Deadline announced the casting of four more roles: Maria, Anita, Bernardo, and Chino. After a worldwide audition, 17-year-old New Jersey high school student, Rachel Zegler, won the coveted part of Maria, Tony’s star-crossed lover. Zegler went viral on Twitter last month for her rendition of the hit song, “Shallow,” from 2018’s A Star Is Born.

Joining Elgort, Moreno, and Zegler are stars from Broadway and theater productions. Ariana DeBose, a Tony nominated actor, has been cast as Anita. David Alvarez, a Tony-winning actor, has been cast as Bernardo. Finally, rounding out the casting announcements was theater performer Josh Andres Rivera as Chino.

Premise

West Side Story is set in the Upper West Side of New York City in the 1950s. The film explores the racially-charged rivalry between the Sharks, a Puerto Rican gang, and the Jets, a white gang. Eventually, the former leader of the Jets, Tony, falls in love with Maria, the sister of the leader of the Sharks, Bernardo. It’s a story of star-crossed lovers that is told with exuberant song and dance numbers.

According to Vanity Fair, screenwriter Tony Kushner, who will help pen the new adaptation, said the film will not be a straightforward remake, but it will still include the Sharks, Jets, and all of the famous songs from the original film. Furthermore, Kushner also stated that the new adaption will draw more inspiration from the original 1957 Broadway production, written by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, rather than the 1961 film.

Release date

There is currently no release date for the film. However, filming is scheduled to commence in the summer of 2019.

Are you excited to see this new adaption of West Side Story? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!