Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story has found its Maria in 17-year-old newcomer Rachel Zegler, a New Jersey High School student.

Deadline reports that more than 30,000 people from around the world auditioned for the film, with Zegler now set to make her debut opposite Ansel Elgort’s Tony. She first submitted a video audition of herself singing “Tonight” and “Me Siento Hermosa” (“I Feel Pretty”).

“I am so thrilled to be playing the iconic role of Maria alongside this amazing cast,” said Zegler. “West Side Story was the first musical I encountered with a Latina lead character. As a Colombian-American, I am humbled by the opportunity to play a role that means so much to the Hispanic community.”

Also freshly cast are Broadway stars Ariana DeBose as Anita and David Alvarez as Bernardo, alongside Josh Andrés Riverahas as Chino.

When it came to casting the Sharks, the Puerto Rican gang whose tension with the Jets, a white American gang, forms the film’s central conflict, Spielberg and his team were committed to finding actors from within the Puerto Rican and broader Latinx community, conducting research and having conversations with Hispanic heritage and advocacy groups.

Last December, Spielberg and Tony Kushner, who is adapting the 1957 Broadway musical, sat down with professors and students at the University of Puerto Rico (Universidad de Puerto Rico – Río Piedras) to discuss the island’s performing arts scene.

Already cast is Rita Moreno, who won an Oscar for her role as Anita in the 1961 film version. She will play Valentina, a rewritten and expanded version of the character Doc, the owner of the corner store where Tony is employed.

“When we began this process a year ago, we announced that we would cast the roles of Maria, Anita, Bernardo, Chino and the Sharks with Latina and Latino actors. I’m so happy that we’ve assembled a cast that reflects the astonishing depth of talent in America’s multifaceted Hispanic community,” said Spielberg.

“I am in awe of the sheer force of the talent of these young performers, and I believe they’ll bring a new and electrifying energy to a magnificent musical that’s more relevant than ever.”

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