The Oscars is finally taking a page out of The Game Awards playbook as it’s been revealed at least one high profile trailer will debut during the event that’s honoring the best in film for the year. Ad Week brings word of ABC’s efforts to sell commercials for the broadcast, including the reveal that the upcoming West Side Story from Oscar winner Steven Spielberg and 20th Century Studios will make its debut during the event. A trailer for the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical In the Heights from Warner Bros. will also be shown in addition to a look at Questlove’s upcoming documentary Summer of Soul (hailing from Disney owned Searchlight).
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The outlet also notes that four “proud sponsors” will include General Motors, Google, Rolex and Verizon, with “participating sponsors” including AARP, Accenture, Adidas International, Airbnb, Apartments.com, Apple, Corona, Credit Karma, Disney+, Eli Lilly, Expedia, FreshPet, FX, Grey Goose/Bacardi, GSK, Honda, Kellogg, Keurig/Dr. Pepper Zero Sugar, Mars, P&G, Power to the Patient, Searchlight, Subway, Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros.
As for West Side Story, the new film from Spielberg probably would have been up for some awards on Sunday night had it not been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The film was originally scheduled to debut in December of 2020, right ahead of the cut-off date for Oscar consideration, and will now debut on December 10, 2021. The film is based onthe original 1957 Broadway musical and features a script by script by Academy Award-nominated screenwriter and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner.
The cast for the movie includes newcomer Rachel Zegler as Maria with Baby Driver‘s Ansel Elgort taking on the part of Tony. Other stars include Ariana DeBose as Anita, David Alvarez as Bernardo, Mike Faist as Riff, Josh Andrรฉs Rivera as Chino, Corey Stoll as Lieutenant Schrank and Brian d’Arcy James as Sergeant Krupke. Rita Moreno, who won an Academy Award for her role as Anita in the 1961 film version of West Side Story, will play Valentina, an expanded and reimagined version of Doc, the proprietor of the corner store where Tony works.
West Side Story was first adapted into a film in 1961, directed by Robert Wise and Robbins. The film starred Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Rita Moreno, George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn. It earned 11 Academy Awards nominations and won 10 of them, including George Chakiris for Supporting Actor, Rita Moreno for Supporting Actress, and Best Picture.
The 93rd Oscars will take place on Sunday, April 25, 2021, and will be televised live on ABC at 8 P.M. ET/5 P.M. PT.
