"There's a time and a place for us", and definitely for a West Side Story film adaptation done the right way
Don't get me wrong. The 1961 musical film adaptation of the Broadway hit, West Side Story is one of the finest musical films ever made. With its 10 Academy Awards, it is definitely an iconic masterpiece in Hollywood cinema.
But despite the success of that film, directed by its original Broadway production choreographer and director Jerome Robbins together with Robert Wise, it received glaring criticisms for its white-casting. Almost sixty years later, the Broadway hit musical is getting another film adaptation, helmed by Academy Award-winning director and producer Steven Spielberg. And this time, "something's comin', something good."
For about two to three years now, Spielberg has been preparing for his version of West Side Story. Originally scheduled for wide theatre release last December, it was pushed a year later by Twentieth Century Fox. At the 93rd Oscars ceremony, the first official trailer was premiered and well received by attending artists and audiences worldwide.
Ever since the production's casting call for actors and performers of Latin descent made headlines among theatre communities, Spielberg has been already receiving praises for the creative decision to make the classic piece true to its very nature.
In a recorded speech of Spielberg at the set of the film, which started production in 2019, he said: "I’m so happy that we’ve assembled a cast that reflects the astonishing depth of talent in America’s multifaceted Hispanic community. I am in awe of the sheer force of the talent of these young performers, and I believe they’ll bring a new and electrifying energy to a magnificent musical that’s more relevant than ever.”