“When you’re a jet, you’re a jet all the way.” This is just one of the many lyrics from a stupendous musical known as West Side Story. The film released in 1961 and received many accolades, including 10 different Academy Awards with Best Picture being among its awards. It has now been announced that legendary director Steven Spielberg will be attempting to remake the film, according to Empire. Spielberg has been extremely busy as of late, recently releasing his new film The Post and finishing up work on Ready Player One. He also has the next Indiana Jones installment and the historical drama The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara in the works, leaving the director with three films currently on his plate.
The original West Side Story is based on the Shakespearean classic Romeo and Juliet, following the story of two gangs, the white-dominated Jets and the Puerto Rican immigrant-led Sharks, and their constant struggle in the streets of Manhattan. Problems arise as Tony, an original Jet who left the gang, meets Maria, the younger sister of Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks. The two fall in love and create turmoil for the two gangs, leading to a complex situation that will lead to heartbreak and murder.
Tony Kushner will be adapting the original script, who has helped Spielberg on a variety of films including Lincoln and Munich. It will be interesting to see how the film plays out, considering that this will be Spielberg’s first full musical. Can he master another genre of film, or will he falter unexpectedly? Only time will tell, as the film does not currently have a release date.
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