After sixty years, the trailer for the highly anticipated remake of the 1961 film West Side Story dropped at The Academy Awards this week. Here is all you need to know about the remake of this cult classicā¦
West Side Story depicts the story of Shakespeareās Romeo and Juliet to music. The film takes place in 1950s New York and centres on gangs the Jets and the Sharks and the blossoming romance between former Jets member Tony and Sharks member Maria and the chaos and tension that their love causes.
The biggest change in the 2021 remake is the casting, as all of the actors cast are of Latin heritage, with Rachel Zegler as Maria and Ansel Elgort as Tony. This is in complete contrast to the 1961 version which cast Natalie Wood as Maria and Richard Beymer as Tony.
Currently, we donāt know as of yet if there will be any new songs added to the film to accompany hits such as “Somewhere”, “Maria” and “Tonight”. If there are new additions within this remake, it will be intriguing to see if they live up to such classic songs portrayed in the original film.
I am excited to see how this remake of such a classic film will turn out on screen and whether or not this fresh spin will bring in a new audience.
The film will be released in the lead-up to Christmas, with the release date for West Side Story being revealed as December 10, 2021.
By Ellie Moylan
Feature image: 20th Century Studios / Disney