Jake Gyllenhaal to play Leonard Bernstein in biopic
Actor speaks of ' incredible honour' to depict deceased classical music icon known for West Side Story
Jake Gyllenhaal will star in and co-produce a film about the late Jewish classical music icon Leonard Bernstein.
The screenplay by Michael Mitnick will be based on the biography “Leonard Bernstein” by Humphrey Murton, Variety reported Wednesday. Cary Joji Fukunaga, who has helmed films such as “Beasts of No Nation” and “Jane Eyre,” will direct.
“Like many people, Leonard Bernstein found his way into my life and heart through ‘West Side Story’ when I was a kid,” Gyllenhaal, who is Jewish, said in a statement. “But as I got older and started to learn about the scope of his work, I began to understand the extent of his unparalleled contribution and the debt of gratitude modern American culture owes him. As a man, Bernstein was a fascinating figure — full of genius and contradiction — and it will be an incredible honour to tell his story with a talent and friend like Cary.”
The project is being developed by Nine Stories, a production company run by Gyllenhaal and Riva Marker. According to Variety, it will be split into five “movements,” like a symphony.
“Bernstein’s artistic passions changed the way generations understood and appreciated music,” Fukunaga said. “It’s been wonderful collaborating with Michael and Jake on Bernstein’s story as we endeavor to capture both the iconic person and artist. Jake is the perfect partner to help bring this story to life and to play this legend.”
Bernstein, the son of Ukrainian immigrants, was the first Jewish conductor to lead a major American orchestra, the New York Philharmonic. For the centennial of his birth this year, the Library of Congress released a trove of his personal documents, and the National Museum of Jewish American History opened a Bernstein exhibit. He died in 1990 at 72.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
