I have been highly anticipating this since news circulated that Bradley Cooper was going to direct Leonard Bernstein‘s biopic AND portray him in the film. Steven Spielberg was originally attached to direct with Cooper in the lead, but as Cooper told Stephen Colbert on his show back in January 2022, Spielberg told him to direct it instead after he saw a clip of A Star Is Born. I LOVE that film and I’ve been wondering what Cooper would direct next. Well, the first teaser of Maestro just arrived and it’s so swoon-worthy!

It definitely perked up my day and I’ve watched it a half dozen times. The visuals are absolutely gorgeous and elegant… set to the heartwrenching music by Gustav Mahler, Adagietto from Mahler’s Symphony No.5–a fitting choice as Bernstein was a huge fan of Mahler’s work. Starting with black-and-white imagery of Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan) sitting in a large garden, there’s an old-school vibe that harkens back to classic Hollywood.

Below is the official synopsis:

Maestro is a towering and fearless love story chronicling the lifelong relationship between cultural icon Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein. A love letter to life and art, Maestro, at its core, is an emotionally epic portrayal of family and love.

Bernstein and Montealegre were married for 25 years and had three children together, though he was a closeted gay man. As seen in the trailer, Felicia witnessed her husband making out with a young man at a formal event. I haven’t seen Mulligan since Promising Young Woman and I love the chemistry between the two. Scenes of his romantic life are interwoven with scenes of the legendary composer conducting a large orchestra… with a cigarette in his mouth no less. Cooper has become a formidable triple threat as he once again wrote, directed, and acted in Maestro, the same thing he did in A Star Is Born.

I’m astonished by Cooper’s physical transformation for the role. Sporting his iconic turtleneck and thick wavy hair, Cooper looks perfect as Bernstein. Shot by Matthew Libatique (who was Oscar-nominated for A Star Is Born), the cinematography blends b/w with color …this sure promises to be a feast for the senses. The cast for the movie includes Sarah Silverman, Matt Bomer, and Maya Hawke.

It’s pretty crazy that Martin Scorsese and Spielberg are both listed as producers of Maestro, considering both were attached to direct this biopic. But hey, I think he has the chops to tackle this film. His career has been on fire the past decade, racking up no less than nine Oscar nominations in acting, writing, directing, and producing.  This is obviously a passion project for him, as in the same Colbert interview, Cooper also talked about his love for conducting since he was a kid.

Cooper’s first Oscar nomination was for Best Actor in 2013 in Silver Linings Playbook, could it be that 2024 finally be his year? I predict he’d get a Best Director Oscar nomination and possibly even a screenwriting or acting nod.

It’s scheduled for limited theatrical release on November 22 before streaming on Netflix on December 20. I really hope I get to see this on the big screen, but that might be unlikely given Minnesota usually isn’t included in limited theatrical releases.

Thoughts on this trailer? Are you excited for MAESTRO?

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