Steven Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’ Remake Has Found Its Tony
The upcoming movie remake of West Side Story is starting to take shape, and we now know who will play the story’s lead male character.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Baby Driver and The Fault in Our Stars actor Ansel Elgort is set to play the role of Tony, a former member of the Jets gang. Director Steven Spielberg is helming the movie, which was first announced in January 2018 when actors were urged to try out for some of the film’s major roles via a public casting call.
Actors for the roles of Maria, Anita, and Bernardo were also sought at the time, and the casting notice specifically requested that Latinx actors audition for the roles, a move to hopefully avoid whitewashing the characters, as in the original movie musical.
So far, Elgort is the only actor attached to the project, and not much else is known about the upcoming remake of the iconic musical. The screenplay will be adapted by Tony Kushner, who has previously worked with Spielberg on films such as Munich and Lincoln.
THR reported that casting has taken so long that it seemed at one point the project might have to be put on hold. With Elgort on board, though, the film is reportedly back on track to start production in spring 2019. It’s surely a relief for Spielberg — the director spent 15 years trying to get the rights to the film, and eagerly began working on it back in 2016.
What do you think of Ansel Elgort as Tony? Let us know @BritandCo!
(photo via Rob Kim/Getty Images)
