Filming has wrapped on Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” remake. To mark the occasion, the filmmaker shared some behind-the-scene cast photos, as well as a thank you to the cast and crew, according to People magazine.
There’s still over a year before the film’s scheduled release, so we still don’t have a lot of details about the musical remake. But here are some of the things we know so far.
What is it?
A remake of the 1957 Broadway musical, “West Side Story” is an updated “Romeo and Juliet” which tells the story of two warring gangs and the star-crossed lovers caught between them, according to CNN.
The iconic musical was adapted into an award-winning film in 1961, per People.
Who’s starring?
Ansel Elgort (most recently seen in “The Goldfinch”) will star as Tony, while the role of Maria will be filled by newcomer Rachel Zegler. Meanwhile, Anita DeBose and David Alvarez (previously known for their stage roles) will portray Anita and Bernardo, Entertainment Weekly reports.
Rita Moreno, who famously played the role of Anita in the 1961 film version, will be returning in the remake as Valentina, a reimagined version of the character Doc, one of the few adult characters based off Shakespeare’s Friar Laurence. Moreno won an Oscar for her performance as Anita, making her the first Hispanic woman to win the award, according to CNN.
Earlier this summer, a picture of Tony and Maria surrounded by the Sharks and the Jets was shared on Twitter.
When will it be released?
The film is currently scheduled for release Dec. 18, 2020.
What does Spielberg have to say about the upcoming film?
Spielberg wrote in a letter posted on Twitter: “This has been a journey without precedence: a joyful, stunningly moving, endlessly surprising encounter with the story and score of one of the world’s greatest musicals. My brilliantly talented, fiercely committed, generous and apparently inexhaustible cast and crew of hundreds have given our film everything they’ve got, and already I can say that the film we’ll be releasing on December 18, 2020 owes everything to them, as does its immensely grateful director.”