Steven Spielberg Opens Up On What Made Him Remake The Musical ‘West Side Story’ In His Version

Filmmaker Steven Spielberg says that he wanted to make a film on the battle against xenophobia and racial prejudice.

That’s the reason he decided to reimagine the musical “West Side Story” for the big screen.

“‘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,” Spielberg told Vanity Fair.

The classic New York tale tells the story of two lovers — Maria, a Puerto Rican, whose brother Bernardo is the leader of the “Sharks” street gang and Tony, a former leader of “The Jets”, who battled The Sharks.

Maria will be played by Rachel Zegler, while “Baby Driver” actor Ansel Elgort will star as Tony. The first looks of the 20th Century Studios distributed film were released recently.