After five decades at the directing game, Steven Spielberg shows no signs of slowing down. Having just delivered The Post late last year, Spielberg's next movie, Ready Player One, is three weeks away from hitting theaters, and after that, he's moving to Indiana Jones 5. Once his next collaboration with Harrison Ford is finished, it's been suggested that Spielberg will finally helm the West Side Story remake, but today brings word that this particular project might have to wait even longer to become a reality, as the director has reportedly expressed interest in a movie about composer Leonard Bernstein.
According to Variety, Steven Spielberg recently held a secret table read on Wednesday for an untitled biopic centered on Leonard Bernstein, though it's unclear who participated in this due to everyone signing non-disclosure agreements. It also wasn't revealed who wrote this particular script, though this is not the Bernstein-related story that was penned by Spotlight writer Josh Singer which currently rests at Paramount. Whether or not the table read for this Leonard Bernstein movie went well, Spielberg still intends to work on Indiana Jones 5 next. He hasn't abandoned West Side Story either, but if he chooses to take on the biopic, he'll need to figure out if he prioritizes that over his adaptation of the Broadway musical or vice versa.
Leonard Bernstein is widely seen as one of the greatest composers of the 20th century, and he became famous for his tenure as the music director for the New York Philharmonic. In the entertainment realm, he scored operas musicals like Trouble in Tahiti and A Quiet Place, and musicals like On The Town, Wonderful Town and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. He also, coincidentally, wrote the music for both the original West Side Story musical and the 1961film adaptation that starred Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer.
Even if Steven Spielberg decides to direct this Leonard Bernstein biopic, keep in mind that there have been other movies in the past that Spielberg's had his name attached to, but nothing ultimately has come/came of them, like The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara. It's also worth mentioning that Spielberg had already hired a casting director to look for actors of Puerto Rican descent for West Side Story, though because the remake is no longer as much of a commitment for him, perhaps this casting work will be set aside. Whatever the outcome, the director will spend the rest of 2018 preparing for both Indiana Jones 5 and the yet-to-be-determined follow-up movie.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates about Steven Spielberg's career. In the meantime, Ready Player One opens in theaters on March 29, and Indiana Jones 5 is still scheduled for release on July 10, 2020. If you're interested in what else 2018 has in store theatrically, head over to out premiere guide.
