"Tonight, tonight the world is full of light..." sings newcomer Rachel Zegler as Maria in the opening scenes of the West Side Story trailer.
What follows is a goosebump raising montage of scenes from the upcoming remake of the beloved musical directed by Steven Spielberg. According to the official synopsis, the film tells the classic tale of fierce rivalries and young love in 1957 New York City.
The reimagining also stars Ansel Elgort (Tony), Ariana DeBose (Anita), David Alvarez (Bernardo), Mike Faist (Riff), Josh Andrés Rivera (Chino), Ana Isabelle (Rosalía), Corey Stoll (Lieutenant Schrank) and Brian d'Arcy James (Officer Krupke).
Rita Moreno, who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the 1961 film, returns as Valentina, who owns the corner store in which Tony works). The film releases in SA cinemas on Friday, 10 December.
WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:
Rachel - who makes her big-screen debut - saw a casting call on Twitter and submitted a video of herself singing and landed the iconic role after the audition process.
Speaking about the film, the 20-year-old told Town and Country Magazine: "We're not trying to recreate, frame for frame, the 1961 film. That film exists as this incredible piece of pop culture that everyone has seen and been affected by in some way. I don't think any of us would ever try to recreate that."
