Around two years ago, Variety was reporting that Steven 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 film, which now has the title of “Maestro,” could leapfrog ahead of Spielberg’s planned “West Side Story” remake. The supposed “top talent” that attended the table read were unknown, as they had all signed non-disclosure agreements, but what was quite clear was that Spielberg would have 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 then, we heard that Netflix had 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.
We are now hearing that “Maestro” will start production next May, although a 2022 release date seems very unlikely.
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 gritty direction, 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.
The ‘Smile’ franchise has a new director. David Bruckner, who made “The Night House” and the 2022 “Hellraiser” reboot, has been hired to direct “Smile 3” for Paramount.