West Side Story first look: The Jets and the Sharks gear up to fight it out in Steven Spielberg's Broadway adaptation

The first look of Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of Broadway classic  West Side Story has been released by 20th Century Fox.

Set in 1957 New York, the project will focus on rival gangs the Jets and the Sharks.

Baby Driver star  Ansel Elgort  and Rachel Zegler feature as star-crossed lovers Tony and Maria respectively. In the picture, the duo is seen surrounded by the Sharks and the Jets on either sides.

The project is based on a 1957 Broadway musical, penned by Arthur Laurents. Leonard Bernstein composed the music and Stephen Sondheim wrote the lyrics. The play was directed by Jerome Robbins.

Check out the poster here 

Meet the cast of director Steven Spielberg's #WestSideStory: Maria (newcomer Rachel Zegler), Tony (Ansel Elgort), The Jets (left) and The Sharks (right). pic.twitter.com/KbZ0G0Gu0U

— 20th Century Studios (@20thcentury) June 17, 2019

The film boasts of a sprawling ensemble cast — Ezra Menas as Jets member Anybodys , Ben Cook as Mouthpiece, Sean Harrison Jones as Action; Mike Faist as Jets leader Riff, Patrick Higgins as Baby John, David Alvarez as Maria’s brother and Sharks leader Bernardo, Julius Anthony Rubio as Sharks members Quique, Ricardo Zayas as Chago, Josh Andrés Rivera as Chago, Sebastian Serra as Braulio and Carlos Sánchez Falú as Pipo.

Apart from the gang members, the film also stars Ariana DeBose as Anita, Ana Isabelle as Rosalia, Corey Stoll as Lieutenant Schrank, Brian d’Arcy James as Officer Krupke, Curtiss Cook as Abe, and Rita Moreno as Valentina in key roles.

Moreno will also serve as the executive producer on the project. Interestingly, the actress nabbed an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins’ 1961 screen adaptation of the musical, as reported by Deadline. 

The movie will be helmed and financed by Spielberg, from a script by Tony Kushner. Gustavo Dudamel will record Bernstein’s iconic soundtrack, while composer David Newman will arrange the score.

The film is slated to relase in the US on 18 December, 2020.