The trailer for Steven Spielberg's epic West Side Story is here
The trailer for Steven Spielberg's anticipated remake of West Side Story has been released, and we think fans will agree it looks every bit as ambitious and powerful as the original.
Adapted from a screenplay by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Tony Kushner, the film follows the story of forbidden love between Maria (Rachel Zegler) and Tony (Ansel Elgort) and the rivalry between two gangs. West Side Story joins long list joyous and life-affirming musical film adaptations on their way to the big screen this year and next.
Serving as the perfect tonic and dollop of escapism amidst the ongoing pandemic, film versions of beloved musicals such Dear Evan Hansen and Everybody's Talking About Jamie will be arriving in cinemas - and streaming platforms - very soon.
Here are the musical exciting adaptations being released this year...
In the Heights
Lin-Manuel Miranda's eagerly-anticipated musical In the Heights, which came before Hamilton, and earned Miranda his first Tony for Best Original Score, will finally be coming to cinemas in June.
The drama follows a bodega owner in New York's vibrant heights neighbourhood who develops mixed feelings about closing his store and retiring to the Dominican Republic after inheriting his grandmother's fortune.
The cast includes Stephanie Beatriz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Modern Family), Anthony Ramos (Hamilton, A Star is Born) and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
In the Heights is being screened in cinemas now.
West Side Story
Steven Spielberg's big budget adaptation of West Side Story follows the well-trodden story of rival-gang teenagers Tony and Maria, who fall in love with each other - despite their families being at war.
Ansel Elgort (Baby Driver, The Goldfinch) plays Tony, while Maria is played by up and coming star Rachel Zegler. The cast also includes Rita Moreno, who featured in the original 1961 film, Corey Stoll (House of Cards, Ratched) and dancer Maddie Ziegler.
West Side Story was delayed due to Covid and is expected to arrive in December this year.
Annette
Adam Driver and Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard star in Annette, which tells the story of a stand-up comedian and his opera singer wife whose two-year-old daughter has a surprising gift.
Set in Los Angeles, Annette will be acclaimed director Leos Carx's (Holy Motors) first feature film in the English language, and will include original music from the 1970s rock band Sparks. Both Driver, Oscar nominated for Marriage Story last year, and Cotillard - who won an Academy Award for her role as Edith Piaf in La Vie En Rose in 2007 - will do all their own singing in the musical.
Anette is out in cinemas now and will be available to stream on Amazon Prime soon.
Cinderella
Tony and Emmy Award-winning actor Billy Porter (Pose) stars as arguably the most fabulous Fairy Godmother in history in this modern reworking of Disney's 1951 classic animation.
Pop star Camilla Cabo plays Cinderella, Frozen's Idina Menzel stars as the Stepmother, Minnie Driver as Queen Beatrice, and James Corden as a Footman/mouse.
Pitch Perfect producer Kay Cannon has written the screenplay and directs.
Cinderella is available to stream now on Amazon Prime.
Dear Evan Hansen
Adapted for the big screen from the Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical, the story follows the titular Evan Hansen, a high school student suffering from anxiety, who embarks on a journey of self-discovery and acceptance following the suicide of a fellow classmate.
Ben Platt (The Politician) will be reprising his stage role as Evan, for which he won a Tony Award for Best Actor, and Julianne Moore will play his mother Heidi Hansen. Kaitlyn Dever (Unbelievable, Booksmart) stars as Zoe Murphy, and Amy Adams will play Cynthia Murphy.
Dear Evan Hansen is expected to be released in September 2021.
Tick, Tick... Boom!
Directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tick, Tick... Boom! follows Andrew Garfield as Jon, an ambitious theatre composer who is waiting tables in New York City while writing Superbia - which he hopes will be the next great American musical and finally give him his big break.
Vanessa Hudgens and The West Wing's Bradley Whitford also star in the film, based on the novel by Jonathan Larson.
Tick, Tick... Boom! will launch on Netflix later this year.
Everybody's Talking About Jamie
Rising star Max Harwood takes on the titular role in the anticipated film version of the much-loved musical. The story follows talented teenager Jamie from Sheffield, who dreams of becoming a drag queen.
Richard E Grant plays Hugo Battersby, Catastrophe's Sharon Horgan is Miss Hedge, Happy Valley's Sarah Lancashire plays Margaret New, and Dinner Ladies star Shobna Gulati is Ray.
Everybody's Talking About Jamie is out on cinemas now.
Matilda
Emma Thompson stars as the notorious Miss Trunchball in the film adaptation of Roald Dahl's Matilda. Lashana Lynch (Captain Marvel, No Time to Die) will play Miss Honey, while Irish actress Alisha Weir will take the title role.
Matilda is expected to launch on Netflix later this year.
The Little Mermaid
Grown-ish star Halle Bailey will take the lead as Ariel in the film adaptation of the of the 1986 Disney classic, starring alongside award-winning Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians, Nora From Queens), Melissa McCarthy, Oscar-winner Javier Bardem and The Undoing's Noma Dumezweni. English-American actor Jonah Hauer-King will play Prince Eric, following reports that Harry Styles turned down the role.
#TheLittleMermaid starring Halle Bailey and Jonah Hauer-King will be released in theaters on May 26, 2023. pic.twitter.com/ue4Lbu0VPP
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) September 10, 2021
Rob Marshall, best known for Chicago, is directing.
The Little Mermaid will be released on Disney+ in 2023.
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