While we prepare for the upcoming release of “Ready Player One,” many Steven Spielberg fans are looking towards the future. What does the legendary director have up his sleeve next? It’s assumed that, like it or not, Spielberg’s next film is going to be “Indiana Jones 5,” followed by a remake of the classic “West Side Story.” Well, now that seems to be all up in the air if you’re to believe the latest reports.
According to Variety, Spielberg recently gathered a group of “top talent” to have a secret table read for a completely brand-new project. It’s not terribly uncommon for Spielberg to have table reads, but this potential project seems to have a lot of buzz and could mean his future schedule is getting altered.
READ MORE: ‘Indiana Jones 5’ Will Be Steven Spielberg’s Next Movie
The report says secret table read was, in fact, for a biopic of the conductor and composer, Leonard Bernstein. And depending on how Spielberg feels about the script, and the read, this film could leap-frog “West Side Story” to become the film he does post-“Indy 5.” Funny enough, Bernstein is the person who wrote the music to “West Side Story.”
Now, it’s not known who the “top talent” that showed up to the table read are because they all signed non-disclosure agreements, but as you might imagine, Spielberg is able to draw the biggest names in Hollywood. Coming off the effects-heavy blockbuster “Ready Player One,” there’s also the chance that Spielberg decides to push everything and focus on this Bernstein biopic immediately. However, Variety says that no matter what, “Indy 5” will be the next project from Spielberg.
The current plan is for Spielberg to direct “Indy 5” at the beginning of 2019. Then, as the director has done in the past, immediately jump into his next gig after filming is complete, giving him two directorial jobs in 2019. However, as Variety points out, it’s not a great secret that Spielberg has been known to pass on projects quickly if they languish in development hell or he’s at a creative roadblock. So, even though “West Side Story” was thought to be a sure thing, it wouldn’t be out-of-character for the director to sideline that film in favor of something completely different.
Either way, it’s clear that Spielberg isn’t slowing down anytime soon, and will have a very productive couple of years.
