Staring down a pandemic and years of cultural criticism over the 1961 original, Disney is optimistic about Spielberg’s remake even as typical musical audiences aren’t yet returning to theaters.
Catsbombed this fall with a domestic total of $15 million. Jon M. Chu’s, based on Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit stage musical, fared somewhat better this summer with $29.9 million but was still considered a dud . And Miranda found himself apologizing on social media after the Warner Bros. movie was criticized for failing to adequately represent Afro-Latinos in its depiction of New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood.
Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner also traveled to Puerto Rico in December 2019. Mario Alegre, a prominent film critic on the island, was among those raising concerns at a small forum. “I cringed the whole time when I watched the 1961 version,” Alegre tellson Nov. 30. “The Puerto Rican characters actually feel like characters.”
This time, Latino and Afro-Latino actors are prominently featured, including Rachel Zegler, who stars as Maria, Ariana DeBose and David Alvarez — as is the Puerto Rican-born Rita Moreno, who became the first Latina to win an Academy Award for her supporting turn as Anita in the 1961 film. In addition to taking on a new part, Moreno also contributed to the advisory board meetings, according to Tijerino.was originally set to open in 2020 but was pushed back because of the pandemic.
“Remaking a classic musical is not an easy task,” says Ayaz. “But we had a really, really good film to work with, and Steven’s just done an incredible job.”
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