Bradley Cooper to direct and star in Leonard Bernstein biopic for Netflix

Bradley Cooper is to star alongside Carey Mulligan in a biopic based on the life of composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein for Netflix.

Cooper, who will also direct, will play Bernstein while Mulligan will star as his on screen wife Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein.

Titled Maestro, the film has been co-written by Cooper and Josh Singer (Spotlight) and will begin production in early 2021.

Cooper said (via Dealine: “I was struck by Carey ever since I saw her on stage many years ago and I haven’t missed a performance of hers since. I am humbled to be working with such a mammoth talent, as well as such a kind person in Carey.”

The casting has reportedly been given the blessing of Bernstein’s three children.

Jamie Bernstein said: “We’re absolutely thrilled that Carey Mulligan will play our mother in Maestro.

“Carey will surely capture Felicia’s unique combination of wit, warmth, elegant beauty, and depth of emotion. We also love the way Carey conveys a kind of storybook European grace, which was something our mother embodied as well.”

Leonard Bernstein was born in 1918 and won countless honours for his works such as West Side Story including eleven Emmy Awards, seventeen Grammy Awards and a Tony Award. He passed away in 1990.

Picture: Flickr/Dominic Dobrzensky