Steven Spielberg's WEST SIDE STORY - News & Discussion Thread- Page 11

[degrassifan]

Posted: 3/29/21 at 4:50pm

Here's a panel on the casting and LatinX representation on the film. Not much info or spoilers given about the film itself, but still interesting to watch/listen. Tried to make the link clickable, but it's not letting me. Sorry!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGs3B6FCaj4

[Globefan]

Posted: 3/29/21 at 7:06pm

degrassifan said: "Here's a panel on the casting and LatinX representation on the film. Not much info or spoilers given about the film itself, but still interesting to watch/listen. Tried to make the link clickable, but it's not letting me. Sorry!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGs3B6FCaj4"

Thank you for sharing it! 

[FosseTharp]

Posted: 3/29/21 at 7:37pm

It appears there will be a new subplot in the film!
 

Link

“Given that Spielberg is responsible for creating many films that are considered to be classics and ahead of time, every film project that he works on creates a lot of anticipation among fans. His latest film project titled West Side Story is heading for production, and it has been revealed Michelle Williams has been confirmed to play a major role in it, according to Hollywood Reporter. It has also been revealed that Michelle Williams will be seen playing the role of the mother to the character that will be based on Steven himself.“

[Musical Master]

Posted: 3/29/21 at 8:35pm

That's actually for Steven Spielberg's new film project that's after West Side Story which is supposedly going to be a Roma inspired film. Tony Kushner is going to write for that film too.

[BwayLB]

Posted: 3/29/21 at 8:47pm

^ I’m excited for that one too. And Seth Rogan is playing Stevens Uncle

[NameGreg]

Posted: 3/29/21 at 9:10pm

BwayLB said: "^ I’m excited for that one too. And Seth Rogan is playing Stevens Uncle"

Certainly not the kind of actor you think Spielberg would work with, but but I won’t question Steven’s choice in actors, especially when they’re playing his family. Very happy with Williams’ casting and Kushner doing the screenplay.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 3/29/21 at 10:30pm

NameGreg said: "BwayLB said: "^ I’m excited for that one too. And Seth Rogan is playing Stevens Uncle"

Certainly not the kind of actor you think Spielberg would work with, but but I won’t question Steven’s choice in actors, especially when they’re playing his family. Very happy with Williams’ casting and Kushner doing the screenplay."

Take a look at 2012’s THE GUILT TRIP with Rogen and Streisand playing his mom.  Not all of his work in films are marijuana-themed films.  

 

[BwayLB]

Posted: 3/29/21 at 10:42pm

^ I saw the Guilt Trip. I liked it

[Musical Master]

Posted: 3/30/21 at 12:33am

Tony Kushner co-wrote 2005's Munich and solo wrote 2012's Lincoln, so we can assume that the two really like working together. Lincoln is actually a pretty great film and I saw it in theaters when it came out, so I have no worries that the screenplay for West Side Story would be any less excellent.

Tony wrote Angels in America for gosh sakes! 

[NameGreg]

Posted: 3/30/21 at 9:58am

BrodyFosse123 said: "NameGreg said: "BwayLB said: "^ I’m excited for that one too. And Seth Rogan is playing Stevens Uncle"

Certainly not the kind of actor you think Spielberg would work with, but but I won’t question Steven’s choice in actors, especially when they’re playing his family. Very happy with Williams’ casting and Kushner doing the screenplay."

Take a look at 2012’s THE GUILT TRIP with Rogen and Streisand playing his mom. Not all of his work in films are marijuana-themed films.

"

Actually heard that one was bad, but I have seen him in more grown up material like Steve Jobs where he actually held his own against Fassbender in a serious role.

I wonder if Spielberg will have a big name as his dad. I’m guessing that role will be smaller as I understand he was mostly with his mom after their divorce.

Anyway I’m super excited for this film. My favorite director collaborating with one of my favorite writers to tell his story. Sounds awesome. And any project with Michelle Williams in it has to be at least a little good.

 

[Globefan]

Posted: 3/31/21 at 1:53pm

I hope Spielberg's new film has him encountering West Side Story for the first time 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 3/31/21 at 2:16pm

Globefan said: "I hope Spielberg's new film has him encountering West Side Story for the first time"

If you want to learn about his childhood, his parents and his sisters, take a look at the fabulous 2017 HBO documentary SPIELBERG.  Though the trailer focuses on his film work, the documentary dives quite deep into his relationships with his sisters, his eccentric mom and his father.  His parent’s divorce affected him quite a bit and it transferred over into his films as well. 

 

[Globefan]

Posted: 4/1/21 at 8:00pm

I think West Side Story could be one of his best films 

[Musical Master]

Posted: 4/5/21 at 9:38pm

I hope so, with all this passion and effort for Steven Spielberg to finally direct a musical film after these many years and passed opportunities (1991's Hook being the most tragic loss in that retrospect), plus with the other 3 musical films coming up very soon, this should be something really special that I hope is greatly awaited and rewarded.

I'm also excited for In The Heights, Dear Evan Hansen, and Tick..Tick..Boom! to come out as well. When was the last time multiple movie musicals came out in a single year like this?

[NameGreg]

Posted: 4/5/21 at 10:04pm

I agree I think Spielberg is perfect for this. Yes this show’s been done as a movie before, but there’s definitely a lot of room for difference.

[Globefan]

Posted: 4/6/21 at 9:56pm

For the Somewhere Ballet scene, they should use Reri Grist's original voice track from the cast recording, by isolating her vocals and using the new arrangements that David Newman made. 

[Musical Master]

Posted: 4/7/21 at 12:11pm

That would be cool, but I think they're going to use the vocals of whoever (I don't know if Consuela is still a character) is playing the character in the new movie. I'm just crossing my fingers that they're going to use the "Somewhere Ballet" in the final cut at all.

Also I'm hoping that the studio will release a teaser trailer during the Academy Awards this April. After all, Disney did the same strategy when Mary Poppins Returns was coming out back in 2018. Again crossing fingers.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 4/7/21 at 12:42pm

Musical Master said: "Also I'm hoping that the studio will release a teaser trailer duringthe Academy Awards this April.After all,Disney did the same strategy when Mary Poppins Returns was coming out back in 2018. Again crossing fingers."

I actually wouldn't be surprised if we get the first trailer around the time In the Heights comes out given that they’re both big movie musicals featuring a number of Hispanic performers in their casts.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 4/7/21 at 12:43pm

Musical Master said: "I'm also excited for In The Heights, Dear Evan Hansen, and Tick..Tick..Boom!to come out as well. When was the last time multiple movie musicals came out in a single year like this?"

2007 did see the releases of movie musicals like Hairspray, Across the Universe, Enchanted, and Sweeney Todd.

 

[Musical Master]

Posted: 4/7/21 at 1:00pm

Oh yeah, I forgot that 2007 had a lot of musical films. What's noteworthy here is that the musical films coming out this year is that all 4 of them (with Everybody's Talking About Jamie excluded because it being delayed to a TBD date) are adapted from Broadway musicals.

It reminds me a little bit on that blitzkrieg of musical films being released in the mid 1960s where Hollywood went berserk on making them after Mary Poppins, My Fair Lady, and The Sound of Music turned out to be hits in an era where the genre was becoming outdated in the climate it was in at the time. Difference here is that thanks to COVID-19, live theater is shut down at the moment and Hollywood is taking this opportunity to make tons of musical films either greenlit for filming or in pre-production development.

I wouldn't be surprised if Hollywood keeps doing this until this pandemic is under control where it's safe to see live stage musicals again.

[BwayLB]

Posted: 4/7/21 at 1:01pm

Jeffrey Karasarides said: "Musical Master said: "Also I'm hoping that the studio will release a teaser trailer duringthe Academy Awards this April.After all,Disney did the same strategy when Mary Poppins Returns was coming out back in 2018. Again crossing fingers."

I actually wouldn't be surprised if we get the first trailer around the time In the Heights comes out given that they’re both big movie musicals featuring a number of Hispanic performers in their casts."

Either way is fine

[NameGreg]

Posted: 4/7/21 at 5:10pm

Has anybody heard a peep about what order Gee Officer Krupke and Cool will be in? I’m hoping they follow the original musical on this one, as it just makes more sense in terms of narrative to have the former comedic number placed first in the lighter half and the latter darker song placed second in the more serious half.

And as someone who enjoys the Krupke more than Cool, I’ll admit I’d also really prefer seeing Mike Faist - who I adore - doing that number instead. Given we already know that they’re doing America in the style of the movie rather than the stage show I’m hoping they’ll follow that line of thinking here too.

[degrassifan]

Posted: 4/7/21 at 10:16pm

NameGreg said: "Has anybody heard a peep about what order Gee Officer Krupke and Cool will be in? I’m hoping they follow the original musical on this one, as it just makes more sense in terms of narrative to have the former comedic number placed first in the lighter half and the latter darker song placed second in the more serious half.

And as someone who enjoys the Krupke more than Cool, I’ll admit I’d also really prefer seeing Mike Faist - who I adore - doing that number instead. Given we already know that they’re doing America in the style of the movie rather than the stage show I’m hoping they’ll follow that line of thinking here too."

I think it could truly go either way. I *think* Sondheim initially wanted Cool and Krupke to be in the order it was in the 1961 movie, but now he thinks their placements on stage work well since theater and film are so different. If they want to be different from the 1961 version, they would probably go with the stage show order. 

America was originally supposed to be boys vs girls on stage, but Robbins wanted an all-female dance number. In a way, this film is going back to the original intention of the stage show by having it be boys vs girls. We know that America was shot in the day time, so that will be another difference. It was also shot all over the city and not just in one spot. 

In the stage show, the order is Maria, Tonight, and then America. I imagine that Maria will occur at night after the dance at the gym (we've seen pics and videos of Ansel filming Maria at night), then the balcony scene occurs, and then the next day it is America. 

We also know that something will be done to the lyrics of I Feel Pretty. We just don't know what yet.

I can see a teaser being attached to either the Oscars, In the Heights, or Black Widow, and maybe a full trailer with Dear Evan Hansen.  
 

My gut feeling with this movie is that they are pretending the 1961 film doesn’t exist and starting from scratch with this new adaptation. I think they are adapting the original 1957 stage musical as a whole new movie. We’ll see if I’m wrong eventually. 

[NameGreg]

Posted: 4/8/21 at 10:45am

Yes I knew that the movie version was how it was originally planned. Sondheim talked about it in Finishing the Hat, and how he was so pissed about changing it to be female exclusive, pointing out that it makes Anita seem like more of an ass when it’s just her and her friends ganging up on one girl. If I remember correctly, he actually said he think he might’ve subconsciously been trying to write worse lyrics because he was so upset about this change.

I gotta agree with Sondheim on this. I think a lot of his West Side Story critiques are him being far too self deprecating as I love the show and his work on it, even if he’d go on to write stronger lyrics in his later years. But with America, while the stage version is still enjoyable, I can’t fully appreciate just because I adore the epic feel of two equal parties going at it onscreen. I’m surprised that it took them until this last Broadway revival to put that version onstage, though I hard heard the previous revival was originally planning to do so before it fell through. Shame that this decision was giving a notorious sex pervert more to do, but that’s all I’ll say on that matter.

Anyway, I also really hope we see some kind of trailer soon. I know Spielberg is a big in person cinema guy, so I’m guessing he doesn’t want to put out anything with a release date before he knows for sure that the movie can actually come out in theaters and succeed at that time. And since he’s one of the most powerful men to ever work in the entertainment industry, I’m guessing he has final say so on such matters. Luckily though, I don’t see it getting pushed back, or at least not pushed back far. He’s got that autobiographical picture coming out next year, and I can’t see him wanting these two to release close to each other, or him wanting to push back two films at the same time.

[BwayLB]

Posted: 4/8/21 at 10:49am

degrassifan said: "NameGreg said: "Has anybody heard a peep about what order Gee Officer Krupke and Cool will be in? I’m hoping they follow the original musical on this one, as it just makes more sense in terms of narrative to have the former comedic number placed first in the lighter half and the latter darker song placed second in the more serious half.

And as someone who enjoys the Krupke more than Cool, I’ll admit I’d also really prefer seeing Mike Faist - who I adore - doing that number instead. Given we already know that they’re doing America in the style of the movie rather than the stage show I’m hoping they’ll follow that line of thinking here too."

I think it could truly go either way. I *think* Sondheim initially wanted Cool and Krupke to be in the order it was in the 1961 movie, but now he thinks their placements on stage work well since theater and film are so different. If they want to be different from the 1961 version, they would probably go with the stage show order.

America was originally supposed to be boys vs girls on stage, but Robbins wanted an all-female dance number. In a way, this film is going back to the original intention of the stage show by having it be boys vs girls. We know that America was shot in the day time, so that will be another difference. It was also shot all over the city and not just in one spot.

In the stage show, the order is Maria, Tonight, and then America. I imagine that Maria will occur at night after the dance at the gym (we've seen pics and videos of Ansel filming Maria at night), then the balcony scene occurs, and then the next day it is America.

We also know that something will be done to the lyrics of I Feel Pretty. We just don't know what yet.

I can see a teaser being attached to either the Oscars, In the Heights, or Black Widow, and maybe a full trailer with Dear Evan Hansen.


My gut feeling with this movie is that they are pretending the 1961 film doesn’t exist and starting from scratch with this new adaptation. I think they are adapting the original 1957 stage musicalas a whole new movie. We’ll see if I’m wrong eventually."

 

I think you maybe right