Around two years ago, Variety was reporting that Spielberg held a secret table read for an unknown movie that, rumor had it, seemed to be a biopic of composer Leonard Bernstein. The story at the time mentioned that the aptly titled “Bernstein” could leapfrog ahead of Spielberg’s planned “West Side Story” remake. The supposed “top talent” that attended the table read was unknown at the time, as they had all signed non-disclosure agreements, but what was quite clear was that Spielberg would have had to juggle a bunch of projects he had going on to make room for “Bernstein.”
To make a long story short, Spielberg protegé, and “A Star is Born” director, Bradley Cooper, eventually stepped in to direct. And now, we’re hearing that Netflix has landed the musical drama (per Variety). The project, which has Cooper co-writing, directing, and producing, was originally set up at Paramount.
According to Variety:
“The film will span over 30 years, telling the story of the marriage between Bernstein and his wife, Felicia Montealegre.” Cooper has been working closely with the Bernstein estate over the past couple of years.
It’s unclear when “Bernstein” will start production, although a 2021 release date seems very likely. Cooper was showered with awards love back in 2018 with “A Star is Born,” a film that I thought had a strong first half but a very weak and rushed second. Regardless, I was impressed by Cooper’s sturdy direction, and his handling of the mise-en-scene was exemplary and proved just how much he learned working with top-tier directors such as Clint Eastwood and David O. Russell during the course of his acting career.