Steven Spielberg's 'West Side Story' remake drops first trailer

The 2021 version of West Side Story stars Ansel Elgort as Tony and Rachel Zegler as Maria. Tony and Maria's love is forbidden, as he is a member of the Jets and she associated with the Sharks. In the original 1961 film, which claimed a whopping 10 Oscars, Tony was portrayed by Richard Beymer and Maria by Natalie Wood. Rita Moreno claimed an Oscar for best supporting actress as Anita, who will now be portrayed by Ariana DeBose, but Moreno will still have a presence through Valentina.

"Anita was the first Hispanic character I ever played who had a sense of dignity," Moreno wrote within a first-person essay for Esquire published last week. "She had self-respect, and very strong opinions, and a deep sense of decency. She became my role model."

Vanity Fair provided a first glimpse at Spielberg's take in March 2020, including an interview with the legendary director. "They brought an authenticity," the three-time Oscar winner said of his cast. "They brought themselves, and everything they believe and everything about them—they brought that to the work. And there was so much interaction between the cast wanting to be able to commit to the Puerto Rican experience. They all represent, I think, a diversity, both within the Puerto Rican, Nuyorican community as well as the broader Latinx community. And they took that seriously."

West Side Story, inspired by Romeo and Juliet, first debuted as a musical in 1957 written by Arthur Laurents with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyricism by Stephen Sondheim.