Netflix has bought the rights to an upcoming Leonard Bernstein biopic that will feature Bradley Cooper in the title role. Not only is Cooper attached, but the film has a long list of top talent behind the camera, as detailed in a new story from Deadline.
Cooper will also direct and produce the movie, and he wrote the script alongside Josh Singer, who won an Oscar for Spotlight. Scorsese and a fellow film giant Steven Spielberg will also produce, as Todd Phillips, who directed Cooper in the Hangover trilogy before going on to direct Joker. Other producers include Emma Tillinger Koskoff (The Irishman), Fred Berner (Pollock), Amy Durning (The Catch), and Kristie Macosko (Bridge of Spies).
The untitled movie will cover 30 years and tell the story of the relationship between Bernstein and his wife, Felicia Montealegre. Bernstein is the famous American composer behind productions such as West Side Story and Peter Pan, among many others.
The film was originally set up at Paramount, and Scorsese is said to have been in line to direct it, before deciding to focus on The Irishman instead. The Spielberg connection is that he directed a remake of West Side Story for the screen in 2020, using Bernstein’s music. It’s also notable because this is the first time Netflix is working with Spielberg, who is Hollywood elite.
Spielberg has been critical of Netflix in the past, saying Netflix movies should not be eligible for the Oscars. Like The Irishman, the Bernstein movie will have a limited run in theatres before coming to Netflix. It’s expected to begin production in early 2021.
As for Cooper, he directed the Oscar-winning movie A Star Is Born, and the Bernstein movie is his first directorial effort since then. The Bernstein estate is working with the stakeholders on the movie. In fact, the report said Cooper has been “working closely” with Bernstein’s children for two years already.
A Bernstein movie featuring Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead role was in the works with Cary Fukunaga attached to direct, but that fell apart.
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