Steven Spielberg's West Side Story Trailer Officially Released

By Aaron Perine

West Side Story has an official trailer for the Steven Spielberg film. 20th Century Studios unveiled the new look today in anticipation of the holiday release. Fans got a glimpse of the movie during the 93rd Academy Awards, but there is a whole lot more footage to comb through this morning. Spielberg is taking on the iconic 1961 film and the beloved musical as well with this remake. A love story at heart, teenagers Tony (played by Ansel Elgort) and Maria (Rachel Zegler) fall for each other despite being affiliated with rival street gangs. As the battles between the Jets and Sharks bubble, 1950's New York City roars to life in the background. All in all, it's a reimagining of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet with a more modern setting. The Tony Awards smiled on the original Broadway production and showered it with six nominations back in 1957. Now, an entirely new generation will get to see what a film legend can do with the material as well. Check out the trailer up above to get a look at it all in motion.

Spielberg is treating this adaptation as surprisingly personal. He had connections to the original project for a long time before getting his chance here.

"My mom was a classical pianist," Spielberg explained last year in a conversation with Vanity Fair. "Our entire home was festooned with classical musical albums, and I grew up surrounded by classical music. West Side Story was actually the first piece of popular music our family ever allowed into the home. I absconded with it—this was the cast album from the 1957 Broadway musical—and just fell completely in love with it as a kid. West Side Story has been that one haunting temptation that I have finally given in to."

20th Century dropped a description of the upcoming film:

"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."

Are you excited for West Side Story? Let us know down in the comments!

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