“Something’s Coming,” and that “something” is Steven Spielberg’s highly anticipated big-screen remake of West Side Story — which viewers finally got a sneak peek of during this year’s Academy Awards.
Never one to back down from a challenge, Spielberg has chosen to adapt one of the most beloved and popular shows of all time as his first musical in his almost 50 years of directing. While originally scheduled to be released in December 2020, Spielberg’s West Side Story will now hit screens one year later, in December 2021, to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the original film’s release.
The remake stars Rachel Zegler as Maria and Ansel Elgort as Tony, along with Brian d’Arcy James as Sergeant Krupke. Rita Moreno won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress when she starred as Anita in the 1961 original, and she will be playing the new character, Valentina, in the remake.
In the new teaser, we get a glimpse of rival gangs, the Jets and the Sharks, battling in the New York streets, while it’s love at first sight for Maria and Tony, who spot each other at the gym dance. The preview ends with the iconic fire-escape scene between Tony and Maria.
It makes sense that the first footage from West Side Story would debut during this year’s Oscars on April 25, since the 1961 classic took home 10 awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress.
In addition to being directed by Spielberg, the remake will also feature a script by Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning Angels in America playwright Tony Kushner, who wrote the scripts for two previous Spielberg films, Munich and Lincoln.
West Side Story is scheduled to hit theaters on December 10, 2021. Check out the first teaser above.
