The release of the upcoming film adaptation of West Side Story, directed by Steven Spielberg, has been delayed nearly a year due to the ongoing pandemic. Originally scheduled to arrive December 18, 2020, the motion picture from 20th Century and Amblin will now hit screens December 10, 2021, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Ansel Elgort and newcomer Rachel Zegler star as star-crossed Tony and Maria, with Tony nominee Ariana DeBose as Anita, David Alvarez as Bernardo, Josh Andrés Rivera as Chino, Tony nominee Brian d’Arcy James as Officer Krupke, Corey Stoll as Lietenant Schrank, and EGOT winner and star of the original 1961 film Rita Moreno in the newly created role of Valentina.
A host of Broadway alumni fill out the cast, including Dear Evan Hansen Tony nominee Mike Faist, Paloma Garcia-Lee, David and Jacob Guzman, Ricky Ubeda, Ben Cook, Sara Esty, Garett Hawe, Talia Ryder, Tanairi Vazquez, Eloise Kropp, Kevin Csolak, and Jess LeProtto.
West Side Story, an update of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet set on Manhattan's Upper West Side in the 1950s, opened on Broadway in 1957. The show features music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Arthur Laurents penned the book from a concept by Jerome Robbins, who directed and choreographed the production.
The forthcoming film was adapted by Angels in America playwright Tony Kushner with choreography by Tony Award winner Justin Peck.
The new Broadway revival is currently on hiatus due to the pandemic.
