The latest rumble between the Sharks and Jet gangs has come to an end as director Steven Spielberg wrapped up filming for his upcoming directorial 'West Side Story'.
Spielberg's production company Amblin Entertainment shared pictures from the sets of the movie and a letter of gratitude from the Oscar-winning filmmaker on Instagram.
"This has been a journey without precedence: a joyful, stunning, moving, endlessly surprising encounter with the story and score of one of the world's greatest musicals," Spielberg wrote in his letter.
"My brilliantly talented, fiercely committed, generous and apparently inexhaustible cast and crew of hundreds have given our film everything they've got, and already I can say that the film we'll be releasing on December 18, 2020, owes everything to them as does its immensely grateful director," he added.
Spielberg continued his letter by mentioning that he feels grateful to be able to walk in the footsteps of the "four giants" before him: Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Laurents, Jerome Robbins, and Stephen Sondheim.
He added, "We filmed West Side Story all over New York, Flatbush to Fort Tryon Park. The city lent us its beauty and its energy, and we drew deeply upon its grand multicultural, multifaceted spirit."
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"To the people of New York and Paterson, thanks not only for putting up with our trailers, tents, cranes, and mid-street dance sequences; from the bottom of my heart, thanks for the warm welcomes we encountered everywhere, from pedestrians and policemen and neighbourhoods and kids. We couldn't have made our musical without you," he concluded his lengthy post.
Apart from sharing the letter, Amblin also posted pictures of Spielberg with the film's cast including Ansel Elgort (Tony) and Rachel Zegler (Maria) as well as Ariana DeBose (Anita) and David Alvarez (Bernardo).
The second still seems to feature the Jets and the Sharks. In another photo, Spielberg can be seen with Rita Moreno, who won an Oscar for playing Anita in the 1961 film version of 'West Side Story'.
The upcoming film is a remake of the Oscar-winning 1961 musical, reported Entertainment Weekly.
Set in 1950s New York City, 'West Side Story' tells the story of a rivalry between two gangs, known as the white Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks. Tony, a one-time member of the Jets falls in love with Maria, the sister of the Sharks leader, Bernardo. Their love has deadly consequences
Oscar-nominated writer Tony Kushner, who earlier wrote Spielberg's 'Lincoln', penned the film's script. Tony-winner Justin Peck will choreograph the musical numbers in the film.
'West Side Story', also starring Corey Stoll, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Brian d'Arcy James, and Maddie Ziegler, is slated to hit the big screens on December 18, 2020.