WEST SIDE STORY Trailer
At long last, we get a glimpse of Steven Spielberg’s take on the iconic musical West Side Story.
Yes, there’s already a beloved film adaptation, but it’s from 1961 and features brownface. Is Spielberg the right person to correct previous mistakes? Maybe not, but he’s doing it anyway.
In case you didn’t see your high school’s production, West Side Story is a bombastic riff on Romeo and Juliet, transplanting the doomed romance from warring families in Italy to warring street gangs in 1950s New York City. María is a young woman associated with the Puerto Rican Sharks while Tony is a member of the white American Jets. They fall in love, of course, much to the chagrin of their communities, and epic dance battles ensue.
The story isn’t exactly complicated, but it sure has remained a major pop culture entity since it premiered on Broadway in 1957. Spielberg, the consummate entertainer he is, naturally decided this would be his first movie musical in a major late-career gamble.
Still, his name means big money, which you can see in this trailer. Part of that went to landing an accomplished lead in Ansel Elgort at Tony (who was accused of sexual assault after production wrapped, which he denies). For María he went after an unknown, finding Rachel Zegler from an open casting call.
Much of the rest of the cast are familiar faces, including the return of Rita Moreno. What will come of all this remains to be seen, but hopefully it doesn’t disgrace the beloved story.
West Side Story is directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler. It will be released in the US and the UK on December 10th, 2021. For international release dates, click here.
How do you think this adaptation will play out? Let us know in the comments!
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