Variety has confirmed that Baby Driver star Ansel Elgort will lead the cast of Steven Spielberg’s planned West Side Story redo. Elgort will play the character of Tony in the upcoming film, which Tony Kushner has written, based on the 1957 musical, written by Arthur Laurents and Stephen Sondheim with music by Leonard Bernstein.
The musical is a modern-day Romeo and Juliet, who are involved in New York street gangs. On the harsh streets of the upper west side, two gangs battle for control of the turf. The situation becomes complicated when a gang members falls in love with a rival’s sister.
The original movie adaptation, released in 1961, was nominated for 11 Academy Awards winning 10.
Shooting on the new version of West Side Story, which is being directed by Spielberg, is set for the summer of 2019.
More as it comes in.
