Trailer of Steven Spielberg's West Side Story revives classic Broadway musical

The makers of the much-awaited adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical West Side Story have finally released its first official trailer.

Directed by Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg, the trailer highlights glimpses of the classic romance trope of young love and fierce rivalries in New York City.

The 2 minutes 15-second trailer gives fans a sneak peek into the forbidden love story between Maria (Rachel Zegler) and Tony (Ansel Elgort). The clip also focuses on the teenage gang - Jets and Sharks hatred for one another.

Despite being a remake of the 1961 film, Spielberg’s version has new scenes, some breath-taking visuals and different dialogues. Along with Zegler and Elgort, West Side Story also features Mike Faist, Josh Andrés Rivera, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Corey Stoll and Brian d’Arcy James in pivotal roles. However, the highlight of the movie is Rita Moreno, who will appear in the remake for a supporting role. She had won an Oscar for her performance in the original film.

Watch the trailer here

As per the preview, it opens with Maria singing the iconic song ‘Tonight’ in her balcony. Further in the trailer, the makers have also included Maria’s iconic white dress and a red belt that became a statement by Natalia Wood in the original movie, writes The Hollywood Reporter.

For the unversed, West Side Story was first a Broadway musical, which was released in the year 1957. Written by Arthur Laurents, the musical featured music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and the concept, direction, and choreography by Jerome Robbins.

Then in 1961, the musical was made into a film, which was directed by Robbins and Robert Wise. Surprisingly, it won 10 Oscars, including the best-supporting actress for Rita Moreno who played Anita.

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the film’s original release date was delayed but will now hit theatres on 10 December this year.