These star-crossed lovers are headed back to the West Side.
Rachel Zegler and Ansel Elgort are the new Tony and Maria in town in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” remake. The trailer for the musical was released on Wednesday, and after a year of delays due to the COVID pandemic, the movie is almost here.
The teaser is filled with scenes showing 1950s Manhattan and the familiar warring gangs of the streets. The iconic passion-filled song “Tonight” serves as the background tune for the trailer.
Against a backdrop of many colorful Jets and Sharks dancing about, Maria tells Tony, “I’ve never seen you before.”
“You’re not Puerto Rican,” she says inquisitively. “Is that OK?” Tony replies, already falling in love with Maria after just one meeting at a school dance.
Another shot shows Maria donning her iconic white dress and red belt as she gets ready with her friend Anita and brother Bernardo. Even Rita Moreno, star of the original 1961 film, makes an appearance. She’s also an executive producer on the new adaptation.
The original romantic drama was adapted from the 1957 Broadway musical by Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein. The groundbreaking film won 10 Academy Awards in 1962 including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor and Actress (for Moreno’s portrayal of Anita) and Best Costume Design.
The 2021 version also stars Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Mike Faist, Josh Andrés Rivera, Ana Isabelle, Corey Stoll and Brian d’Arcy James.
It was announced last month that “West Side Story” would not reopen on Broadway. The show’s producer Kate Horton announced that the 2020 Broadway revival would not return despite New York declaring in May that theaters could return to 100% capacity on Sept. 14.
The flick will be released in December following a yearlong delay due to the pandemic.JB NICHOLAS / SplashNews.com“This difficult and painful decision comes after we have explored every possible path to a successful run, and unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, reopening is not a practical proposition,” Horton said. “We thank all the brilliant, creative artists who brought ‘West Side Story’ to life at the Broadway Theatre, even for so brief a time, especially the extraordinary acting company, 33 of whom made their Broadway debuts in this production.”
“West Side Story” hits theaters on Dec. 10.
