Ansel Elgort to Play Tony in Steven Spielberg's West Side Story Remake

Ansel Elgort has been announced as Steven Spielberg's pick to star as Tony in his new film adaptation of West Side Story, featuring a screenplay by Pulitzer Prize and Tony winner Tony Kushner (Angels in America; Caroline, or Change). Elgort joins the project on the heels of last week's announcement that Tony winner Justin Peck will serve as choreographer. Filming is set to begin next summer.

Elgort played the title character in the 2017 film Baby Driver, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination, and starred alongside Shailene Woodley in the 2014 romantic drama The Fault in Our Stars. He is also set to star in The Goldfinch, a film adaptation of Donna Tartt's novel, scheduled for a 2019 release.

West Side Story, a classic Romeo and Juliet-inspired musical by Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, and Arthur Laurents, was made into a 1961 film directed by Robert Wise and the show's original choreographer, Jerome Robbins. Larry Kert originated the role of Tony on Broadway in 1957, and the part was played by Richard Beymer for the film.

The new film will be produced for Fox by Spielberg, Kevin McCollum, and Kristie Macosko Krieger.