Bradley Cooper's 'Obsession' Convinced Steven Spielberg To Hand Him The Reins On Maestro

After dazzling audiences with his fervor for music in "A Star is Born," Bradley Cooper is set to take his directing (and acting) talents to "Maestro," a biopic based on the life of conductor Leonard Bernstein. And judging from the first look released for the film, Cooper has enveloped himself in the titular role in every way possible. However, he was not the first director attached to the project. Once upon a time, Steven Spielberg had the film lined up in his busy schedule, but that all changed when meeting Cooper.

Of course, one does not simply take over as director of a Spielberg film. Luckily enough, Cooper arrived at his doorstep at just the right time in his career. When Spielberg approached Cooper about potentially starring in "Maestro," the actor-director was in post-production on "A Star is Born." Cooper expressed interest in "Maestro," not solely as an actor, but as a filmmaker willing to write and direct it. Although "A Star is Born" proved he knew how to direct, it was Cooper's longtime inclination towards music that really convinced Spielberg to hand the film over.

During a conversation with Mahershala Ali for Variety, Cooper detailed just how obsessed he was about conducting music as a child, a former aspiration that led to Spielberg giving him the reins on "Maestro":

"I wanted to be a conductor since I was a kid. 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."

Cooper also stated:

"I always knew that Steven Spielberg knew that I had this obsession with conducting. He had this biopic idea and was talking to me about potentially acting in it. But I had just been working on 'A 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?'"

Not only did Spielberg consider his longtime obsession, but he got to see a cut of "A Star is Born" as well. Coupled with Spielberg's busy to-do list, it just made too much sense to give "Maestro" up to Cooper. The rest is history: "I think he knew he wasn't going to make that movie for a while. He was kind enough to hand it off to me."

Handling "Maestro" will be no easy task, and thankfully, Cooper is not taking the opportunity lightly. Forging his love for music conduction and filmmaking is a recipe for success, judging by his past work. And besides, no love was lost for Spielberg either. The two are to set collaborate on a remake of Steve McQueen's "Bullitt," another ambitious undertaking.

"Maestro" currently does not have a release date on Netflix, but we expect it to bow out on streaming (and maybe theatrical) sometime in 2023. Until then, catch Cooper's excellent first directing job in "A Star is Born" on HBO Max.