Having won huge plaudits for his directorial debut A Star is Born back in 2018, actor-turned-filmmaker Bradley Cooper is once again behind the camera for a biopic of legendary composer Leonard Bernstein. Maestro arrives in New Zealand when it hits cinemas on December 20.
The Hangover star is also stepping in front of the camera, playing Bernstein with the help of an already controversial fake nose. According to early info, Maestro will focus on Bernstein’s relationship with his wife Felicia Montealegre (played by Carey Mulligan). Their marriage lasted from 1951 until her death in 1978, covering the peak of Bernstein’s career, including his work on the classic musical West Side Story.
The rest of the primary cast is rounded out by Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke, Sarah Silverman, Michael Urie, Gideon Glick, Miriam Shor and Alexa Swinton.
Cooper picked up the directorial reins after both Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg demurred (both are on producing duties), which is heck of a score from someone on their second film as director. Of course, A Star is Born proved that the Guardians of the Galaxy star is no slouch when it comes to musical drama, so we’re confident that the film is in safe hands.
One question that remains at this point, however, is how the film will deal with Leonard’s sexuality, given his numerous affairs with men over the course of his marriage and later life. Given the focus on his personal life it seems like a key element, but perhaps we need to wait for a full trainer to see how it’ll play on screen.
Still, the family seem happy. Bernstein’s daughter Jamie (played by Maya Hawke in the film) has noted that: “It’s a portrait of our parent’s marriage so it’s about something very specific and very personal for us. We’re really struck by the fact that this was the aspect of the story that Bradley decided to focus on and we’re very excited about the actress who is going to play our mother.”
