- Film And TV
- 16 Sep 21
Rita Moreno, who starred in the original film, makes a cameo.
A new, full-length trailer has been released for Steven Spielberg's West Side Story. The film was originally supposed to be released in 2020, but was pushed back due to the pandemic.
A teaser trailer was released in May, but the full-length trailer reveals more of the film's aesthetic, and features some of the musical's more memorable songs.
The trailer revolves around Rachel Zegler. The breakout actor plays Maria, who falls in love with Ansel Elgort’s Tony in 1950s New York.
Loosely based on William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, the two characters' relationship takes place against a street war between rival gangs — the Sharks and the Jets.
The film also features Ariana DeBose (Anita), David Alvarez (Bernardo), Mike Faist (Riff), Josh Andrés Rivera (Chino), Ana Isabelle (Rosalía), Corey Stoll (Lieutenant Schrank), and Brian d’Arcy James (Officer Krupke).
“We’re not trying to recreate, frame for frame, the 1961 film. That film exists as this incredible piece of pop culture that everyone has seen and been affected by in some way,” Zegler said in an interview with Town & Country.
Advertisement
“I don’t think any of us would ever try to recreate that. There are things to improve on and things to address. It’s such a cultural phenomenon, that film and the musical in general.”
Oscar-winning actress Rita Moreno, who played Maria in the 1961 film, will also make a cameo in the film. “Never in my wildest dreams did I see myself revisiting this seminal work," she said in a statement when casting was initially announced. “And to be asked by Steven Spielberg to participate is simply thrilling!”
Watch the trailer below.