Photo: NetflixBradley Cooperis orchestrating his next directorial endeavor.The 47-year-old actor becomes famed conductor andWest Side Storycomposer Leonard Bernstein for his upcoming filmMaestro, which Netflix debuted first look photos of on Monday.In one image, Cooper and costar Carey Mulligan (who plays Bernstein’s wife Felicia Montealegre) smile together, while another behind-the-scenes photo shows Cooper framing a shot on set. Additional images show Cooper unrecognizable as an aged Bernstein.This is Cooper’s return to directing after making his debut with 2018’sA Star Is Born.In January, Cooper teasedMaestroduring a conversation with Mahershala Ali forVariety, explaining that he personally “wanted to be a conductor since I was a kid.“He said at the time, “I was obsessed with it, asked Santa Claus for a baton when I was 8. Listening to music, falling in love with it and being able to really know every single moment of a piece, like Tchaikovsky’s Opus 35 in D major, this violin concerto. I could do it as if I know everything about it without really being able to speak the language, obviously.“Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein inMaestro(2023).NetflixNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Cooper also explained how he took on the project after directorSteven Spielbergwas originally attached to it.“I always knew that Steven Spielberg knew that I had this obsession with conducting,” said Cooper. “He had this biopic idea and was talking to me about potentially acting in it. But I had just been working onA Star Is Born. And I said, ‘Listen, all I want to do is write and direct movies. 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?’ “Netflix"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,” theNightmare Alleystar added. “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.“NetflixScott Stuber, the head of original films at Netflix, toldVarietyback in December about progress onMaestro.“We’ve done a lot of work on the makeup. We’ve done a lot of work on the voice. I’m excited to see someone so deeply focused on creating a story that means so much to him,” he said of Cooper. “And Carey Mulligan is an incredible actress. We’ve seen her do such great work.Promising Young Womanwas, I thought, one of the best [films] last year.“Maestro, which is expected to debut in 2023, also stars Matt Bomer and Maya Hawke. Martin Scorsese and Spielberg are among the producers.

Photo: Netflix

Bradley Cooper Becomes Leonard Bernstein in First Look at Maestro with Carey Mulligan

Bradley Cooperis orchestrating his next directorial endeavor.The 47-year-old actor becomes famed conductor andWest Side Storycomposer Leonard Bernstein for his upcoming filmMaestro, which Netflix debuted first look photos of on Monday.In one image, Cooper and costar Carey Mulligan (who plays Bernstein’s wife Felicia Montealegre) smile together, while another behind-the-scenes photo shows Cooper framing a shot on set. Additional images show Cooper unrecognizable as an aged Bernstein.This is Cooper’s return to directing after making his debut with 2018’sA Star Is Born.In January, Cooper teasedMaestroduring a conversation with Mahershala Ali forVariety, explaining that he personally “wanted to be a conductor since I was a kid.“He said at the time, “I was obsessed with it, asked Santa Claus for a baton when I was 8. Listening to music, falling in love with it and being able to really know every single moment of a piece, like Tchaikovsky’s Opus 35 in D major, this violin concerto. I could do it as if I know everything about it without really being able to speak the language, obviously.“Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein inMaestro(2023).NetflixNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Cooper also explained how he took on the project after directorSteven Spielbergwas originally attached to it.“I always knew that Steven Spielberg knew that I had this obsession with conducting,” said Cooper. “He had this biopic idea and was talking to me about potentially acting in it. But I had just been working onA Star Is Born. And I said, ‘Listen, all I want to do is write and direct movies. 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?’ “Netflix"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,” theNightmare Alleystar added. “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.“NetflixScott Stuber, the head of original films at Netflix, toldVarietyback in December about progress onMaestro.“We’ve done a lot of work on the makeup. We’ve done a lot of work on the voice. I’m excited to see someone so deeply focused on creating a story that means so much to him,” he said of Cooper. “And Carey Mulligan is an incredible actress. We’ve seen her do such great work.Promising Young Womanwas, I thought, one of the best [films] last year.“Maestro, which is expected to debut in 2023, also stars Matt Bomer and Maya Hawke. Martin Scorsese and Spielberg are among the producers.

Bradley Cooperis orchestrating his next directorial endeavor.

The 47-year-old actor becomes famed conductor andWest Side Storycomposer Leonard Bernstein for his upcoming filmMaestro, which Netflix debuted first look photos of on Monday.

In one image, Cooper and costar Carey Mulligan (who plays Bernstein’s wife Felicia Montealegre) smile together, while another behind-the-scenes photo shows Cooper framing a shot on set. Additional images show Cooper unrecognizable as an aged Bernstein.

This is Cooper’s return to directing after making his debut with 2018’sA Star Is Born.

In January, Cooper teasedMaestroduring a conversation with Mahershala Ali forVariety, explaining that he personally “wanted to be a conductor since I was a kid.”

He said at the time, “I was obsessed with it, asked Santa Claus for a baton when I was 8. Listening to music, falling in love with it and being able to really know every single moment of a piece, like Tchaikovsky’s Opus 35 in D major, this violin concerto. I could do it as if I know everything about it without really being able to speak the language, obviously.”

Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein inMaestro(2023).Netflix

Bradley Cooper Becomes Leonard Bernstein in First Look at Maestro with Carey Mulligan

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Cooper also explained how he took on the project after directorSteven Spielbergwas originally attached to it.

“I always knew that Steven Spielberg knew that I had this obsession with conducting,” said Cooper. “He had this biopic idea and was talking to me about potentially acting in it. But I had just been working onA Star Is Born. And I said, ‘Listen, all I want to do is write and direct movies. 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?’ "

Netflix

Bradley Cooper Becomes Leonard Bernstein in First Look at Maestro with Carey Mulligan

“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,” theNightmare Alleystar added. “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.”

Bradley Cooper Becomes Leonard Bernstein in First Look at Maestro with Carey Mulligan

Scott Stuber, the head of original films at Netflix, toldVarietyback in December about progress onMaestro.

“We’ve done a lot of work on the makeup. We’ve done a lot of work on the voice. I’m excited to see someone so deeply focused on creating a story that means so much to him,” he said of Cooper. “And Carey Mulligan is an incredible actress. We’ve seen her do such great work.Promising Young Womanwas, I thought, one of the best [films] last year.”

Maestro, which is expected to debut in 2023, also stars Matt Bomer and Maya Hawke. Martin Scorsese and Spielberg are among the producers.

source: people.com