When you think of Steven Spielberg you might think of dinosaurs, aliens, war films and dramas, but two things you don’t think of are remakes and musicals. Well it’s now clear that the Oscar winning actor is moving forward with a project that is both of them.
Spielberg put out a casting call yesterday looking for three Latino performers for the roles of Maria, Anita, and Bernardo and a Caucasian actor for the role of Tony. In case you have never seen West Side Story, these are just a few of the main characters in it. The 1961 musical won the Oscar for Best Picture, but before that it was a Broadway musical based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. It follows two rival gangs, the Jets and the Sharks, and a love story between Tony and Maria whose family happen to be on opposite sides. The casting notice stated that the applicants must be able to sing, and dancing is a plus.
Spielberg has recently seen his film The Post get nominated for the Oscar Best Picture statue, and he has his sci-fi film, Ready Player One, coming out in March. He’s mentioned his desire to make a musical in several interviews in the past, but he’s never moved forward with any projects. As of the moment nothing else is known about the project, Spielberg himself hasn’t even commented on it, so it will be interesting to watch it develop throughout the year.