Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographic drama The Fabelmans has set a release date for Thanksgiving 2022. Inspired by Spielberg’s childhood, The Fabelmans takes place in Arizona, where the filmmaker spent his formative years.
The Fabelmans reportedly tells a dramatized version of Spielberg’s journey from movie-lover to one of the most influential directors of all times. Newcomer Gabriel LaBelle is said to play Sammy, a young aspiring filmmaker based on Spielberg, while Julia Butters (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) plays his sister Annie. Paul Dano and four-time Oscar nominee Michelle Williams are set to play the boy’s parents, while Seth Rogen will co-star as a character modeled after Spielberg‘s favorite uncle.
Spielberg co-wrote the script with frequent collaborator Tony Kushner (Angels in America). Spielberg and Kushner previously worked together on 2005’s historical action drama Munich and 2012 cinebiography Lincoln. More recently, the duo penned Spielberg’s adaptation of West Side Story, which has been gathering astonishing critical reception before its commercial premiere this Friday. Besides directing and co-writing, Spielberg is also producing The Fabelmans with Kushner and Kristie Macosko Krieger.
Although The Fabelmans started production last July, the movie is still surrounded by secrecy. But while we don’t know yet how faithful the film will be to Spielberg’s real story, it will surely be interesting to peek behind the curtains of one of the greatest minds of Hollywood.
In the late ’50s and early ’60s, Spielberg spent his young years in Phoenix, Arizona, where he started to experiment with 8mm movies in his backyard. Spielberg’s official directorial debut would come in 1975 with Jaws, a classic that still holds as one of the best horror movies in history. After that, Spielberg revolutionized Cinema multiple times, with movies such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Jurassic Park. And that’s not even scratching the surface of the dozens of incredible stories Spielberg helped bring to life.
Spielberg’s next movie, West Side Story, is the second feature-length adaption of the 1957’s stage musical of the same name, with lyrics written by the recently passed Stephen Sondheim. The new adaptation stars Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler as Tony and María, the two star-crossed lovers at the center of the Romeo and Juliet-inspired musical. The film also stars David Alvarez, Mike Faist, Ariana DeBose, Brian d’Arcy James, Corey Stoll, and Josh Andrés Rivera. Actress Rita Moreno, who played Anita in the original 1961 film, returns to the cast as Valentina, the owner of the corner store where Tony works. Moreno also serves as one of the film’s executive producers.
West Side Story will hit theaters this Friday, December 10. The movie will also be available in IMAX. As for The Fabelmans, the drama is expected to hit theaters on November 23, 2022.
via Collider