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Ansel Elgort will star in Steven Spielberg’s long-gestating “West Side Story”.
The “Baby Driver” inherits the part of Tony, previously played by “Twin Peaks” alum Richard Beymer in the 1961 version.
Tony Kushner has written the adaptation of the musical originally penned by Arthur Laurents and Stephen Sondheim with music by Leonard Bernstein.
Spielberg has spent considerable time chasing actors that could sing, dance, and – of course – act for the movie. He was apparently struggling in his hunt and for a while there it looked like the movie might be shelved as a result.
With Elgort onboard, production is now set to begin in summer 2019.
Spielberg, Kevin McCollum and Kristie Macosko Krieger are producing the film.
In the film, Elgort’s Tony, who was once in the white gang known as the Jets, falls in love with Maria, the sister of the leader of the Sharks, the Puerto Rican gang.
Via ‘The Hollywood Reporter‘
