Image Courtesy by 'West Side Story'

Steven Spielberg has begun the casting process for new screen adaptation of the Broadway musical West Side Story, which the 71-year-old filmmaker will tackle after he first shoots a new Indiana Jones movie.

Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that Spielberg plans to shoot what would be the fifth Indyinstallment in 2019 with a goal of having it released in 2020.

That, however, is not stopping him from actively working on West Side Story, which started its casting search this week. The move, which prompted speculation that West Side could be his next movie, is expected to take some time since Spielberg is planning an extensive search to find the right actors.

Casting notices were sent out Wednesday, as Spielberg and producers Kristie Macosko Krieger, who works regularly with Spielberg, and Kevin McCollum, the Broadway producer whose resume includes the Tony Award-winning musicals Rent, In the Heights and Avenue Q, began a search for the young leads to carry the dance-fueled story of two young lovers from opposing cultural sides in 1950s New York.

While some have been surprised that the director is tackling the 1961 musical as his next project (given that the indelible dance sequences in the version by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins are considered classics), the notices provide a clue as to what kind of movie Spielberg is looking to make.

The most striking difference is that Spielberg seems to be taking steps to cast the movie in an ethnically authentic manner, especially at a moment when Latino activists are asking for more on-screen representation.

Read More at Hollywood Reporter