A first look at the Steven Spielberg remake of the iconic movie musical West Side Story has been released, showing the newest batch of actors to portray the legendary Jets and Sharks gangs in a new retooling of the classic 1961 musical film.
Deadline reported that Fox released its first photo from the shoot, which tells the story of rival gangs the Jets and the Sharks, set in New York City in 1957. Deadline identified the performers in the remake and their characters as the following:
The Jets include Anybodys (Ezra Menas), Mouthpiece (Ben Cook), Action (Sean Harrison Jones), Jets leader Riff (Mike Faist), Baby John (Patrick Higgins), Tony (Ansel Elgort), and Maria (Rachel Zegler).
Meanwhile, the Sharks include Maria’s brother and Sharks leader Bernardo (David Alvarez), Quique (Julius Anthony Rubio), Chago (Ricardo Zayas), Chino (Josh Andrés Rivera), Braulio (Sebastian Serra) and Pipo (Carlos Sanchez Falú).
The cast also includes Ariana DeBose (Anita), Ana Isabelle (Rosalia), Corey Stoll (Lieutenant Schrank), Brian d’Arcy James (Officer Krupke), Curtiss Cook (Abe), and Oscar winner Rita Moreno, who plays Valentina, a reconceived version of the character of Doc, the owner of the corner store in which Tony works.
Moreno won an Academy Award in the category of Best Supporting Actress for her work in the 1962 original film version.
Additionally, West Side Story also won Academy Awards in 1962 in the categories of Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor for George Chakiris, and Best Director for Robert Wise, to name a few. In total, the film was honored with 10 Oscars.
Meet the cast of director Steven Spielberg’s #WestSideStory : Maria (newcomer Rachel Zegler), Tony (Ansel Elgort), The Jets (left) and The Sharks (right). pic.twitter.com/KbZ0G0Gu0U
— 20th Century Studios (@20thcentury) June 17, 2019
Moreno played Bernardo’s girlfriend Anita in the original film. She told Deadline that after being cast in the remake, she couldn’t believe her luck that she would able to return to one of the most iconic films of her career.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I see myself revisiting this seminal work,” said the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) winner. “And to be asked by Steven Spielberg to participate is simply thrilling! Then to work together with the brilliant playwright, Tony Kushner – what a glorious stew! I am tingling!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lrl7NG93ESQ
The film is based on the original 1957 Broadway musical. West Side Story hosted a who’s who of musical theater veterans who created lightning in a bottle for the musical’s run on the Great White Way. These included a script by legendary playwright Arthur Laurents, music by the iconic Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and direction and choreography by Jerome Robbins.
Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story has a projected domestic release date of December 18, 2020.
