Photo Flash: Stephen Sondheim Pays a Visit to WEST SIDE STORY Movie Set

Something great is coming! Stephen Spielberg's film adaptation of the classic musical West Side Story has officially started filming and is set to release at the end of next year! The cast, led by Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler, just got a surprise visitor on set- lyricist Stephen Sondheim!

The film, which is set to release on December 18, 2020, is an adaptation of the 1957 musical with an iconic score by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim and a book by Arthur Laurents. The film is being directed by the legendary Stephen Spielberg with Pulitzer Prize winner Tony Kushner penning the film's screenplay.

Kushner recently revealed that he would be leaving the musical numbers intact, and that the story would be more similar to the original musical than to the 1961 film, saying "It's not a straightforward remake [of the movie], but it's definitely the Jets and the Sharks. It's New York City. I think people will find a new way to love the story and to love the songs through our interpretation."

Acclaimed conductor Gustavo Dudamel will be guiding the baton for the film's recording of the score. Also part of the music team are Oscar®-nominated composer and conductor David Newman who will be arranging the Bernstein score for the new adaptation; Tony Award®-winning composer Jeanine Tesori who will be working with the cast on vocals; and Grammy®-nominated music supervisor Matt Sullivan, who will serve as executive music producer for the film.