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West Side Story 2021
Historical romanceMusical dramaRomantic drama
A 2021 American musical romantic drama film, West Side Story is the second full-length version of the 1957 stage show that draws inspiration from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. This film was directed and produced by Steven Spielberg, with screenplay written by Tony Kushner. The movie stars Ansel Elgort in the role of Tony and Rachel Zegler (making her cinematic debut) as María, supported by Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Mike Faist, and Rita Moreno. Previous star Leonard Bernstein from the 1961 adaptation also worked as executive producer alongside Kushner. Music was composed by 20th Century Studios, with lyrics credited to Stephen Sondheim.
Development started in 2014 at 20th Century Fox, then known as 20th Century Studios; Kushner began working on the script in 2017. Spielberg joined the project in January 2018, and casting commenced that September. Choreography was handled by Justin Peck. Principal photography took place in New York and New Jersey; filming started in July 2019 and lasted two months.
West Side Story had its premiere at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on November 29, 2021, just three days after Sondheim's passing. It opened theatrically in the United States through 20th Century Studios on December 10, following a one-year delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Critics responded positively, with some calling it better than the 1961 original. The film was named among the top ten of 2021 by both the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute.
The movie received multiple awards recognition, including seven nominations at the 94th Academy Awards, such as Best Picture, with DeBose winning Best Supporting Actress. Nonetheless, it underperformed commercially, earning $76 million while its production cost was $100 million, aiming for a break-even point of approximately $300million. Still, it found more success through streaming and home video distribution.
Since its release, West Side Story has been recognized as one of the greatest musical films ever made and among the finest works of the 2020s and 21st centuries.
Cast
- Ansel ElgortTony
- Rachel ZeglerMaría
- Ariana DeBoseAnita
- David AlvarezBernardo
- Mike Faist"Riff"
- Rita MorenoValentina
- Brian d'Arcy JamesSergeant Krupke
- Corey StollLieutenant Schrank
- Josh Andrés RiveraChino
- Iris Menas"Anybodys"
- Ana IsabelleRosalía
- Andréa BurnsFausta
- Jamila Velazquez"Meche"
- Yassmin AlersLluvia
- Jamie HarrisRory
- Curtiss CookAbe
- Paloma Garcia-LeeGraziella
- Kyle Coffman"Ice"
- Sean Harrison Jones"Action"
- Patrick HigginsJohn "Baby John"
- Ben Cook"Mouthpiece"
- Kyle AllenBalkan
- Myles Erlick"Snowboy"
- Talia RyderTessa
- Maddie ZieglerVelma
- Annelise CeperoProvi
Crew
- Director
- Steven Spielberg
- Screenplay
- Tony Kushner
- Producer
- Steven Spielberg, Kristie Macosko Krieger, Kevin McCollum
- Cinematography
- Janusz Kamiński
- Editing
- Michael Kahn, Sarah Broshar
- Music
- Leonard Bernstein
Details
- Production
- 20th Century Studios, Amblin Entertainment
- Distributor
- 20th Century Studios
- Budget
- $100million
- Box office
- $76million
