Steven Spielberg’s remake of ‘West Side Story’ will begin filming on June 8th in New York. The film tells the story of Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ but in the setting of 1950’s New York, with warring white and Puerto Rican gangs.
Ansel Elgort (‘The Fault in Our Stars,’ ‘Baby Driver’) is playing the lead role of Tony.
Also, original ‘West Side Story’ actress Rita Moreno will return, but as a new character. She plays Valentina, a re-conceived and expanded version of the character of Doc, the owner of the corner store in which Tony works.
Moreover, the rest of the current cast and their roles:
- David Alvarez as Bernardo
- Ariana DeBose as Anita
- Josh Andrés Rivera as Chino
- Rachel Zegler as Maria
Additional casting announcements, specifically in regards to The Sharks and The Jets, will arrive in the coming weeks.
Spielberg (‘The Post,’ ‘Ready Player One’) serves as both director and producer, while the screenplay is from Oscar-nominated screenwriter and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner (‘Munich,’ ‘Lincoln’). The film is an adaptation of the original 1957 Broadway musical.
As for crew, production designer Adam Stockhausen (‘Ready Player One,’ Widows’) and composer David Neman (‘Girls Trip,’ ‘Night School’) are already onboard.
2oth Century Fox has not given the film a release date yet.
Source: Discussing Film