New ‘West Side Story’ Teaser Stars Rachel Zegler and Ansel Elgort

Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” has a new look!

On Wednesday, “Good Morning America” premiered an exclusive peek at the official trailer for the film, which is based on the 1957 Broadway musical of the same name and enters cinemas on Friday, December 10.

Newcomer Rachel Zegler, Golden Globe contender Ansel Elgort, and the legendary Rita Moreno star in Steven Spielberg’s film musical. Moreno previously featured opposite Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer in the 1961 version of “West Side Story,” for which he received an Academy Award.

Zegler, who was discovered through a casting call placed on Twitter and is making her professional film debut, sings for the first time in the teaser. As we are introduced to the world of “West Side Story,” she performs “Tonight,” one of the musical’s major numbers.

“West Side Story” is a musical set in 1950s New York City that depicts the story of two star-crossed lovers, similar to Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” Tony (Elgort) is a former member of the Jets, a white gang, who falls in love with Maria (Zegler), the sister of the Sharks’ gang boss.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the 1961 film, which received ten Academy Awards, including best picture.

Last March, Spielberg told Vanity Fair that the narrative “is not simply a product of its period, but it has returned, and it has returned with a kind of societal anger.”

“I really wanted to tell that Puerto Rican, Nuyorican story of basically migrating to this country and struggling to earn a living, have children, and fight xenophobia and racial prejudice,” he continued.

Fans will be in for “some shocks” with a new picture, according to Moreno, who told Entertainment Tonight in May that “there are things that are done in this movie that weren’t in the first, that should have.”

The initial release date for Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” was planned for December 18, 2020. The film’s release date has been moved back to December 10, 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this year’s Oscars ceremony, a trailer for the film was shown.