Gently tapping his way from one big-budget Hollywood musical to the next, Variety reports that Baby Driver star Ansel Elgort has been picked to play the lead in Steven Spielberg’s feature film adaptation of West Side Story. Elgort will star as Tony in the upcoming film, a role portrayed by Richard Beymer in the musical’s multiple Oscar-winning 1961 adaptation.
Elgort is the first major name attached to Spielberg’s next big project, based on Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, and Arthur Laurent’s massively successful attempt to ask “What if Romeo & Juliet had less teenage suicide, but more flick-knives and dancin’?” Filming on Spielberg’s adaptation is set to start in summer of 2019, which means they’ll probably need some hefty air conditioners on hand if they want to keep that set cool, boy.
