Netflix has released the first-look images from its upcoming Leonard Bernstein biopic, starring Bradley Cooper, who looks completely unrecognisable in the titular role.
Bernstein was the iconic American conductor, composer and pianist who was the first-ever American conductor to gain international acclaim. Thrust into stardom at 25, Bernstein first took over for an ailing Bruno Walter to lead the New York Philharmonic with less than a day’s notice at the Carnegie Hall.
His wife’s unabashed and opinionated outspokenness led to many calling him out for being a communist. His civil rights activism, especially support for the Black Panther Party, even landed him on the FBI’s security index.
This led to Hollywood blacklisting him till he composed the score for Elia Kazan’s On The Waterfront.
Titled Maestro, the film will chronicle three decades in Bernstein’s life where Cooper will star as Bernstein throughout the various stages of his life. At the same time, Carey Mulligan plays his wife, Felicia Montealegre.
Directed and co-written by Cooper, Spotlight screenwriter Josh Singer has also joined the project.
Maestro is also being produced by filmmaking legends Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, who are not very fond of Netflix. The latter even protested against letting the streaming giant partake in the Awards ceremony.
Although Spielberg was initially set to direct the project, he took a backseat and asked the A Star Is Born actor to helm it.
While the film Maestro is aiming for a 2023 release, it might be a potential Academy Award contender.
Take a look at the images below: