West Side Story is a 2021 American musical romantic drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and written by Tony Kushner. The second feature-length adaptation of the 1957 stage musical, itself inspired by William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, it stars Ansel Elgort as Tony and Rachel Zegler (in her film debut) as MarÃa, with Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Mike Faist, and Rita Moreno in supporting roles. Moreno, who starred in the 1961 film adaptation, also served as an executive producer alongside Kushner. The film features music composed by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.