Steven Spielberg Moves Forward with WEST SIDE STORY Remake After Pushing Back INDIANA JONES 5 Release Date

Disney has pushed the Steven Spielberg-directed Indiana Jones 5 to July 9, 2021 now that Spielberg's other project, a West Side Story reboot, is in pre-production, Deadline has reported.

Indiana Jones 5 was originally scheduled for a 2020 release date but with nation-wide casting calls now completed for West Side Story, Spielberg is moving ahead with the remake of the hit 1961 musical film based off the 1957 Tony-Award winning Broadway musical.

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.

WEST SIDE STORY was written by Arthur Laurents, with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, inspired by William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. The dark theme, sophisticated music, extended dance scenes, and focus on social problems marked a turning point in American musical theatre. Bernstein's score for the musical includes "Something's Coming", "Maria", "America", "Somewhere", "Tonight", "Jet Song", "I Feel Pretty", "A Boy Like That", "One Hand, One Heart", "Gee, Officer Krupke", and "Cool".

The original 1957 Broadway production, conceived, directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins and produced by Robert E. Griffith and Harold Prince, marked Sondheim's Broadway debut. It ran for 732 performances before going on tour. The production was nominated for six TONY AWARDS including Best Musical in 1957, but the award for Best Musical went to Meredith Willson's The Music Man. Robbins won the Tony Award for his choreography and Oliver Smith won for his scenic designs. The show had an even longer-running London production, a number of revivals and international productions. A 1961 musical film of the same name, directed by Robert Wise and Robbins, starred Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Rita Moreno, George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn. The film was nominated for eleven Academy Awards and won ten, including George Chakiris for Supporting Actor, Rita Moreno for Supporting Actress, and Best Picture.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride