As he prepares to release “The Big Friendly Giant”, Steven Spielberg is looking ahead at several projects. He’s even looking at entering the musical genre.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Spielberg wants to helm a remake of “West Side Story.” This comes after a previous attempt to buy the film rights back in 2001. Furthermore, Spielberg plans to make “West Side Story” as a co-production with 20th Century Fox and MGM.
During a 2014 appearance on Good Morning America, Spielberg mentions the idea of doing a remake. “‘West Side Story’ is one of my favourite Broadway musicals and one of the greatest pieces of musical literature,” he says. “One of the greatest scores and some of the greatest lyrics ever written for a musical, so just let me put it this way: it’s on my mind.”
“Angels in America” playwright-screenwriter Tony Kushner is reuniting with Spielberg on “West Side Story.” “The Hollywood Reporter” notes he is currently working on a draft of the script. This marks their third collaboration after 2005’s “Munich” and 2012’s “Lincoln”.
“West Side Story” is a 1957 Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim. It was adapted as a feature film by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise. “West Side Story” became the second highest-grossing film of 1961. The cast includes Richard Beymer, Natalie Wood, Rita Moreno, George Charikis and Russ Tamblyn. It has the record of ten Academy Awards for a musical film. These include Best Picture, Best Director Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress.
