Like a pearl at the heart of a decrepit, molding, rank oyster, the first trailer for Steven Spielberg’s adaptation/remake of West Side Story dropped in the middle of the Academy Awards broadcast on Sunday night, presumably to make us all realize that in the midst of our darkest hours why we still do all of this bullshit. Yes, it’s because we love making and watching movies. And, boy, does it look like an absolutely special film, the kind of cross-generational delight that rarely hits as well as it should in this day and age. If anything, it’ll remind you to definitely bring a box of tissues with you to the theater later on this winter.
Take a look:
Look, you probably don’t really need a synopsis for this, given that it is West Side Story, after all, but you might need this list of all of Spielberg’s collaborators on the project:
“Directed by Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg, from a screenplay by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Tony Kushner, ‘West Side Story’ tells the classic tale of fierce rivalries and young love in 1957 New York City. This reimagining of the beloved musical stars Ansel Elgort (Tony); Rachel Zegler (María); Ariana DeBose (Anita); David Alvarez (Bernardo); Mike Faist (Riff); Josh Andrés Rivera (Chino); Ana Isabelle (Rosalía); Corey Stoll (Lieutenant Schrank); Brian d’Arcy James (Officer Krupke); and Rita Moreno (as Valentina, who owns the corner store in which Tony works). Moreno – one of only three artists to be honored with Academy, Emmy, Grammy, Tony and Peabody Awards – also serves as one of the film’s executive producers.
Bringing together the best of both Broadway and Hollywood, the film’s creative team includes Kushner, who also serves as an executive producer; Tony Award winner Justin Peck, who choreographed the musical numbers in the film; renowned Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor and Grammy Award winner Gustavo Dudamel, who helmed the recording of the iconic score; Academy Award-nominated composer and conductor David Newman (‘Anastasia’), who arranged the score; Tony Award-winning composer Jeanine Tesori (‘Fun Home,’ ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’), who supervised the cast on vocals; and Grammy-nominated music supervisor Matt Sullivan (‘Beauty and the Beast,’ ‘Chicago’), who served as executive music producer for the film. The film is produced by Spielberg, Academy Award-nominated producer Kristie Macosko Krieger and Tony Award-winning producer Kevin McCollum. ‘West Side Story’ has been adapted for the screen from the original 1957 Broadway show, with book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and concept, direction and choreography by Jerome Robbins.“
Phew! West Side Story, God willing, will hit theaters on December 10.