After the accolades heaped on The Post and the highly anticipated nerd-fest Ready Player One, many were curious what director Steven Spielberg had on deck for his next project. While there are still rumblings of another Indiana Jones film, the famed director is also taking a vastly different track from the whip cracks and Nazis by adapting the classic musical West Side Story.
A new casting call confirms the news, and the search for the film’s leads has already begun.
Searching For Tony, Maria, Anita & Bernardo:
– Tony Is Caucasian
– Maria & Anita Are Latina
– Bernardo Is Latino
– Should Be Between 15 — 25 years old
– Must Be Able To Sing
– Dance Experience A Plus
The script will be written by Pulitzer winning playwright Tony Kushner, who penned Angels In America and previously worked with Spielberg on Lincoln.
West Side Story, itself a retelling of Romeo & Juliet, follows two rival gangs as they fight for control of their territory in New York’s Upper West Side. It opened on Broadway in 1957 to great acclaim and a film adaptation followed in 1961. The film went on to win 10 Academy Awards and is considered one of the most beloved musicals of all time.
Call it the La La Land Effect, because it looks like musicals might be in again.
