Steven Spielberg's West Side Story adaptation

[sueb1863]

Wonder if he'll keep it in the 60s or update it with a 2016 setting.

 

[Breogan]

Wonder if he'll keep it in the late 50s-60s or update it with a 2016 setting.

My guess, instead of late 50s-60s New York; with (ambiguous Irish/Polish)white vs Puerto Ricans, it'll likely now be set in modern LA; with everyone vs mexican/chicanos as the "Sharks"

Another spin could be set in the 80s with a rif on Jackson/Van Halen "Beat It" video, which had heavy nods to west Side Story.

+

[YT]H6Q8Lec1Wjg[/YT]
Oddly enough the original apparently went through a bit of an evolution, starting from:
"East Side Story": about the Lower East Side and Irish Catholic "Jets" and the Jewish "Emeralds"
Then Bernstein suggested they rework it in Los Angeles with whites vs chicanos.
Finally Laurents was more familiar with NY Puerto Ricans and Harlem and it was finely set in NY's West Side.

So there is some precedence for Spielberg to take it in a few different directions and reinvent, if true I'm curious to see where he goes with it.

 

[dark_b]

Spielberg said many times that he wants to direct a musical. If he can not find an original script he will do a remake.

 

[terry78]

He could always work with Lin-Manuel.

 

[Breogan]

He could always work with Lin-Manuel.

You are right, Miranda & Spielberg, Miranda being Puerto Rican descent and from Washington Heights likely has a sensibility to it, If true that Spielberg is perusing it right now and things line up, that right there would be a likely, very timely and fortuitous combination.

 

[terry78]

If he composed the songs and assisted with the choreography for this, I think it would garner a lot of hype.

 

[Jochimus]

Now, if this were about a doomed star-crossed romance between a shark and a dinosaur, I could see the appeal of it.

 

[Breogan]

I think it would garner a lot of hype.

True, well maybe not so much on the superhero hype, as evidenced from several lol posts above ^
("...random...why?...going to suck...odd choices...romance between a shark and a dinosaur...")

but definitely for a more general audience, you are right the hype of a remake + Spielberg + Miranda combo would likely be huge right now.

And as over-the-top melodramatic as it was, it's themes are all still relevant today-
[YT]DGtD5QAaAGY[/YT]
It may seem an odd choice, theme and genre to some, if Spielberg at the time saw it, he was what 15 when it came out? I can see how it may have impacted or stuck with him as a classic, and might want to revisit it now.

Also [if true] an accomplished director, might want to break with what's expected or predicted for him and for creative drive, try something new rather than whats expected. .

 

[Doctor Jones]

Ugh, this isn't even confirmed. Just something Spielberg says he's interested in. I doubt this will even happen. I'd love to see Spielberg make a musical though.

 

[terry78]

Well, you know how Spielberg is. His word is bond.

 

[Breogan]

Ugh, this isn't even confirmed. Just something Spielberg says he's interested in.

Don't think anybody is saying it's confirmed? He is quoted as saying:

"Well you know something, ‘West Side Story’ is one of my favorite Broadway musicals and one of the greatest pieces of musical literature, my goodness, one of the greatest scores and some of the greatest lyrics ever written for a musical so just let me put it this way: it’s on my mind,"

Which states his interest pretty strongly, combined with the Hollywood Reporter saying he's secured the rights.

West Side Story — which would be a Fox/MGM co-production — for which Tony Kushner is working on a script. Spielberg has dreamt of adapting it "for decades," securing rights after trying to get them 15 years ago.

Has garnered some discussion on the possibility.

 

[Doctor Jones]

I was going off of the fact CNN used a click bait-y method to misinform to make it appear like it is.

 

[Sawyer]

So I see he's still at it with this...

http://deadline.com/2018/01/steven-...est-side-story-directing-vehicles-1202262857/

I mean, if he's really serious about this, I say go for it. I just don't know why he would want to, considering that even if successful, it will only ever be seen as second to the original.

 

[shauner111]

It doesn't need to be remade you old idiot. His recent films are absolute snoozefests and pure oscar bait. This is completely unnecessary.

 

[Black Narcissus]

Spielberg making another Indiana and remaking West Side story...

Cath Me If You Can.

The last time he made anything worth a damn. Search your bald nostalgic hearts, it is the goddamn truth.

 

[Drizzle]

Cath Me If You Can.

The last time he made anything worth a damn. Search your bald nostalgic hearts, it is the goddamn truth.

Munich and War Horse say hi. Lincoln was decent too, but mainly for Daniel Day-Lewis.

 

[Ivan Drago]

I had no idea Tony Kushner was writing the West Side story script. Could be good.

 

[Ivan Drago]

Munich and War Horse say hi. Lincoln was decent too, but mainly for Daniel Day-Lewis.

A lot of people are dismissing it as "oscar bait" but I thought The Post was really good.

 

[David H.]

Lincoln is brilliant in its entirety.

 

[Boom]

Lincoln is one of my favorite Spielberg films. Fight me.

 

[Black Narcissus]

Munich and War Horse say hi. Lincoln was decent too, but mainly for Daniel Day-Lewis.

 

[Herofan]

If Spielberg wants to make a movie musical he should adapt Wicked. WSS would feel pretty wrong with other actors, modernized or even not-modernized, just unpleasant to think the original could be topped or benefit from being different.

I liked Lincoln (and Tintin) but I thought Bridge of Spies and The Post felt pretty constrained and weighed down by trying too hard to be Big Important Period Films.

 

[The Guard]

West Side Story has been rebooted, retooled and revived a number of times on stage.

I fail to see the issue here.

 

[sueb1863]

Is he still thinking about doing this?

 

[Sawyer]

Seems like something is up. Kushner's husband's Twitter...

https://***********/MarkHarrisNYC/status/956695213858279424

Mark Harris
@MarkHarrisNYC
Exciting Harris/Kushner household news: Something's coming. Something good. (h/t @marciliroff)