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First Look: Bradley Cooper Is Unrecognisable In Netflix's Leonard Bernstein Biopic

The Netflix film about the American conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein is produced by Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese.

 

Bradley Cooper is undergoing a dramatic transformation for his next role.

Netflix unveiled set photos on Monday (May 30) from Cooper’s new film, Maestro, a biopic of American conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein. which also marks his directorial follow-up to 2018’s A Star is Born. He co-wrote the script with Oscar-feted Spotlight scribe Josh Singer.

Cooper is playing the legendary Broadway icon — whose film and stage works include West Side Story and On the Waterfront — while Carey Mulligan co-stars as his wife Felicia Montealegre. The cast also includes Matt Bomer and Maya Hawke.

The drama will focus on their marriage over the course of 30 years, from 1951 to 1978. (Hence, the pictures of Cooper, barely recognisable as an old man.) Bernstein died in 1990 at the age of 72. 

Steven Spielberg was originally attached to direct Maestro before handing the baton over to Cooper.  Speaking to Variety in January, Cooper explained how he convinced Spielberg to let him have a crack at the biopic.

“I [told Spielberg], ‘I always felt like I could play a conductor, but may I research the material and see if I can write it and direct it? Would you let me do that?'” Cooper said. “Steven has a lot of interests — he’ll just choose one thing and all of the other things will be on hold. I think he knew he wasn’t going to make that movie for a while. He was kind enough to hand it off to me, and that’s what I’ve been doing for the last four and a half years, and we start shooting in May.”

Spielberg remains on board as producer alongside Martin Scorsese who was also once attached to helm the project. According to IMDBPro, production started in early May. The film is expected to drop in 2023, presumably during awards season.

Photos: Netflix/Twitter

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Hollywood Bradley Cooper Maestro Steven Spielberg

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