After the success of Bradley Cooper's A Star is Born, the actor-director will be taking on a new directing challenge. In 2020, Cooper will direct and star in a biopic on the legendary composer Leonard Bernstein.
As yet, the film still does not have a title. However, it seems likely that audiences will eagerly await another film directed by Cooper considering Cooper's enormous rise in popularity after co-staring with Lady Gaga in A Star is Born. This seems to at least be the way Netflix feels about the Bernstein biopic in the works. Netflix has recently made a deal to acquire all the rights to Cooper's upcoming film.
Working with a team of producers and Bernstein's own family
The film will boast many impressive names in its credits in addition to Cooper's. The film will be produced by Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, and it will also star Carey Mulligan. Cooper has co-written the script for the film with Josh Singer, who won an Oscar for Spotlight. Those interested to get Singapore IP address might additionally be interested to learn that Todd Phillips-the director of Joker- will also be involved in the film as a producer.
The Bernstein family estate has recently given Cooper exclusive rights to produce the film using the late composer's music. Also, Cooper is creating the film along with the help of Bernstein's three surviving children. The film will depict the events of some 30 years of the composer's life. The film will also explore the story of Bernstein's marriage to Felicia Montealegre, which was complicated by the composer's homosexuality.
The life of Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein is widely heralded as one of the greatest composers in American history. The genius behind such epic films as On the Town and West Side Story, Leonard Bernstein was born in Massachusetts in 1918. Bernstein would develop a passion for music in his youth and go on to study music at Harvard.
Much of Bernstein's fame resulted from his long time working as the music director for the New York Philharmonic. However, he also achieved fame as a prodigious composer of music in diverse styles. Among Bernstein's oeuvre are ballets, operas, musicals, film scores, and choral works. Bernstein also wrote vocal music and piano compositions.
Bernstein passed away in 1990 at the age of 72 in New York City. Bernstein died only five days after he announced his retirement as a conductor. He has received numerous honors since passing away. In August of 2018, the 100th anniversary of his death took place. The Skirball Cultural Center of Los Angeles developed an exhibition in his honor.
Timeline for the release of the film
A biopic on Leonard Bernstein has actually been a long time in the making. Scorsese had been making plans to do his own Bernstein film through Paramount. Paramount previously had the rights to Bernstein's music but let the rights expire before creating a film. Scorsese decided to let Cooper go ahead and take over the Bernstein project while he was busy with last year's The Irishman.
Netflix has expressed confidence in Cooper's directing ability and anticipation for the upcoming Bernstein film. In an interview, the Head of Film at Netflix Scott Stuber said, "Bradley's directorial debut [A Star is Born] was nothing short of brilliant and he quickly cemented himself as a serious filmmaker."
Shooting for Cooper's film was scheduled to begin in the fall of 2019, but it seems to have been delayed until an early 2020 start. It is still unknown whether the film will be finished in time for a 2021 release. It's possible that the release date for the movie might need to be pushed back to 2020.
Events surrounding the creation of the biopic
Reportedly, actor and producer Jake Gyllenhaal had been planning his own biopic on Bernstein in which he would star. He announced this project back in May of 2018. However, Cooper quickly announced his own intentions to create a Bernstein biopic only about a week later. For some time, it was uncertain who would take the idea through to completion. When Cooper was given exclusive rights to Bernstein's music, it became fairly clear that Gyllenhaal would probably stop pursuing the project.
Netflix is expected to offer a grand theatrical release for the Bernstein biopic. This will occur before the film is first available for streaming. Netflix did the same for the Scorsese film the Irishmen and for its two other recent films The Two Popes and Marriage Story.
It's worth noting that Cooper's biopic will not be the only film coming up that centers around Bernstein and his musical creations. Steven Spielberg is planning to release a remake of West Side Story in 2020. Also, a stage revival of the musical is being planned to come to Broadway in the near future.
