Get Your First Look At The New ‘West Side Story’ Cast

Steven Spielberg is full steam ahead on his next film, a new take on the classic Leonard Bernstein musical “West Side Story,” set for release in December 2020. Earlier on Monday, 20th Century Fox dropped the first official photo from the film on Twitter, showcasing the young cast of Jets, Sharks, and the star-crossed Tony and Maria caught between them.

What might jump out straight away is the more grounded color palette employed by this new film as compared to the saturated look of the original film adaptation from 1961. While this film itself might end up with a more colorful look, the potential for a more mundane appearance is a legitimate concern for this film that has made all the right choices so far.

Another thing evident from this photo is that Spielberg and writer Tony Kushner (“Lincoln”) have opted to keep the story set in the musical’s original 1950’s time period, as opposed to modernizing it. One way the new version is differentiating itself is in the realm of casting, making sure to cast racially appropriate performers. The casting of white performers as some of the Puerto Rican characters is one of the few glaring issues in the original 1961 film adaptation.

Fronting this new film is Ansel Elgort (“Baby Driver”) as Tony and newcomer Rachel Zegler as Maria. Joining them and the rest of the young cast are Corey Stoll as Lieutenant Schrank and Brian d’Arcy James as Lieutenant Krupke. Rita Moreno, who played Anita in the original film, is also slated to appear in the new film as Valentina.

Disney and 20th Century Fox will release “West Side Story” on Dec. 18, 2020.