West Side Story: First trailer for Steven Spielberg’s musical remake released

Musical will be released in December 2021

The first trailer for Steven Spielberg’s take on West Side Story has been released.

During Sunday (25 April) night’s Oscar ceremony, fans were given a first look at the musical extravaganza, which is scheduled for US release on 10 December, exactly 60 years after the original film was released.

While the trailer is mostly without dialogue, there are glimpses of the warring gangs – the Sharks and Jets – as well as Tony (Ansel Elgort) and Maria (Rachel Zegler) meeting for the first time while a rendition of “Somewhere” plays.

Rita Moreno, who won an Academy Award for playing the role of Anita in the original film, is also seen as Valentino, a reworked and gender-swapped version of the character Doc.

While the film will feature all the original songs from the 1961 version of West Side Story, the screenplay has been written by Spielberg and is closer to the original stage musical.

Fans of the musical were left enthralled by the teaser video, with one comment reading: “This looks perfect. Oh my goodness.”

“This is absolutely unreal,” another commenter wrote. “The gratification from something fulfilling every single fiber of an expectation and looking like an actual best case scenario is so rare. This is stunning... from the look of the cast to the vibe of the world and most notably; to the incredible love note to the legacy of West Side Story that is every choice in this trailer.”

Many viewers singled out their excitement to see Zegler, who was just 16 years old when she was cast as Maria via YouTube casting call.

West Side Story was originally due to be released last December, but was delayed by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

West Side Story comes to cinemas on 10 December 2021.