Ansel Elgort Cast as Tony in Steven Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’ Remake
According to Variety, film star Ansel Elgort has been cast as Tony in Steven Spielberg’s remake of the Broadway musical ‘West Side Story.’ This new adaptation will be a remake of the 1961 film based on the 1957 Broadway musical written by Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein, and Arthur Laurents. The adaptation will be written by Tony Kushner.
Elgort was most recently seen in films such as “Baby Driver,” “The Fault in Our Stars,” and the “Divergent” series. The rest of the cast has yet to be announced.
Filming will begin in the summer of 2019.
An international touring company of ‘West Side Story’ came to perform in Manila at the Theatre at Solaire last August 2017. The story is inspired by Shakespeare’s tumultuous love story Romeo and Juliet, and is set amidst the vicious rivalry of teenage gangs in 1950s New York.
The original 1957 Broadway production marked Sondheim’s Broadway debut. The production won two Tony Awards– Outstanding Choreographer for Jerome Robbins and Outstanding Scenic Design for Oliver Smith. The 1961 musical film adaptation starring Richard Beymer as Tony and Natalie Wood as Maria won 10 Academy Awards, including Best Director for Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, and Best Picture.
