A remake of the popular Sondheim musical West Side Story is in the works and the name attached to the project is none other than Steven Spielberg. This will be no easy task.
The previous cinematic West Side Story (1961) is one of the most loved and memorable musicals of all time.
The musical is based on Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. It explores the rivalry between two New York City gangs of different ethnicities- the Jets and the Sharks. The Jets are a white gang, the Sharks are Puerto Ricans. Trouble escalates when Maria and Tony, from rival gangs, fall in love.
News of the remake was made public when a tweet announced an open casting call for the four main parts of Maria, Tony, Anita and Bernardo. The tweet also announced that Tony Kushner – who has previously worked with Spielberg on Lincoln – will be adapting the screenplay for the remake.
The director who is constantly producing some of the most memorable and popular films has had a very busy year making the Oscar-worthy The Post about journalists at The Washington Post publishing secret reports about the American involvement in the Vietnam War and the soon-to-be-released sci-fi epic Ready Player One.
But as they say: “There’s no rest for the wicked”.
Despite the remake being announced, Spielberg has other projects on the go. Before work starts on the new West Side Story, Spielberg will be filming on the fifth Indiana Jones film which is set for a release date in 2020. Filming will start next year.
The other project linked to his name, The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara, seems to have been put on the back burner for now.
Many will be excited about the news of a new take on West Side Story but they will probably have to wait quite some time before further news on the musical film and its release.
> Naomi Round
