Could A WEST SIDE STORY Remake Be Steven Spielberg's Next Project?

A new report from Deadline suggests that a previously rumored Steven Spielberg remake of WEST SIDE STORY could be one of his next projects.

According to the report, the Academy Award-winning director is considering the musical reboot as his next film, along with a possible new chapter of the Indiana Jones series.

The report confirms that as previously announced ANGELS IN AMERICA scribe Tony Kushner is currently working on a script.

Spielberg says he has dreamt of adapting the movie "for decades," and recently secured the rights after 15 years of attempting to do so.

Kushner received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1993 for his play Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. He co-authored with Eric Roth the screenplay for the 2005 film Munich, and he wrote the screenplay for the 2012 film Lincoln, both critically acclaimed movies. For his work, he received a National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama in 2013.

The 1961 musical drama film WEST SIDE STORY was directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. The film is an adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was inspired by William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. It starred Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno, and George Chakiris.

Released on October 18, 1961 through United Artists, the film became the second highest grossing film of the year in the United States and was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won 10, including Best Picture (as well as a special award for Robbins), BECOMING the record holder for the most wins for a movie musical.