Ansel Elgort Joins the Cast of ‘West Side Story’ Remake
Ansel Elgort will star in the West Side Story remake to be helmed by Steven Spielberg.
He broke your hearts as Augustus Waters in The Fault in Our Stars. You watched him skid across the big screen with his driving skills as Baby in Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver. Now get ready to fall in love with Ansel Elgort again as he sings, dances, and acts in the upcoming remake of the classic musical film West Side Story.
Ansel Elgort has been cast in the lead role of “Tony” in the new film version of the Broadway musical, “West Side Story,” to be directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg.
Filming is set to begin in the summer of 2019. #WestSideStory #AnselElgort #StevenSpielberg pic.twitter.com/LOO3wdj8wX
— Amblin (@amblin) October 1, 2018
#BabyDriver star @AnselElgort has nabbed the role of Tony in Steven Spielberg’s remake of #WestSideStory https://t.co/iYNkI0XJgb
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) October 1, 2018
Originally debuting on Broadway in 1957 with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, and lyrics provided by Stephen Sondheim, West Side Story is a modern take on Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” West Side Story takes place in New York City during the 1950s and is a tale about two teenage gangs hostile towards each other: the white gang The Jets and the Puerto Rican gang The Sharks. In the midst of the chaos between the two warring gangs is a tragic love story between the former Jets member Tony and Maria, the sister of the Sharks leader Bernardo.
West Side Story was previously adapted to film in 1961 and starred Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer as both Maria and Tony respectively. The 1961 film will later go on to win ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
Elgort will be playing the leading man, Tony, while the actress to play alongside him as Maria has yet to be announced.
Filming for the West Side Story remake will commence next year in the summer of 2019.
