Bradley Cooper Made An 'Intense' Change To Maestro's Script

Millions around the world have been affected in one way or another by the great composer Leonard Bernstein's work over the decades, so it was only a matter of time before Hollywood would finally get around to ushering a prestige biopic into production with this year's "Maestro." (/Film's Rafael Motamayor reviewed the film out of the London Film Festival.) It wasn't for a lack of trying, mind you, as no lesser names than Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, both of whom remain involved as producers, previously took their own shots at bringing this story to the big screen. That responsibility now falls on the shoulders of director and star Bradley Cooper, and it's not one he's taking lightly.

In a recent interview with The Wrap, award-winning writer Josh Singer opened up about his years spent working on various drafts of the script. Not surprisingly, Cooper ended up making a significant change to the overall direction of the film when he came on board the project. According to Singer, he had a very specific focus in mind from the start:

"I had spent three years wandering in the desert and researching Leonard Bernstein. My first drafts focused on Lenny's early career in the '40s and '50s. How his wife Felicia grounded him was central, but my efforts were more centered on Lenny and his creative struggles."

Cooper, however, was more interested in untangling the complicated marriage at the center of the famous conductor's personal life. "Bradley was fascinated by this very modern, progressive marriage, which had this universal story about the many ways in which love can manifest." Several personal letters attest to the affairs Bernstein carried out with several men while married to actor Felicia Montealegre (played by Carrie Mulligan in "Maestro"), which Cooper wanted to further explore.

Of course, that's quite a course-correction to throw at one's co-writer — particularly after joining a production that was already in development for close to a decade. Cooper's only other screenplay credit to date is for 2018's "A Star is Born," which earned an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. So when it came time to sit and really drill down to the essence of what "Maestro" would eventually become, Josh Singer (known for writing "The West Wing," "Spotlight," "The Post," and "First Man") found himself having to keep pace with Cooper. As he told The Wrap:

"Bradley came to the project and very much wanted to go there. I love doing the research, so I'm used to going deep. But I'm not used to struggling to keep up, as it was with Bradley as we were writing. It was pretty intense, but that's how you get at the heart of something."

Although the film is screening in a limited theatrical release before its streaming debut on Netflix, it would seem that their hard work has already paid off. Bernstein's surviving family members have already spoken highly of the project, which Singer alluded to during this interview. "I think that's why [Bernstein's three children] love the movie. Not because it's any kind of hagiography, but because we managed to capture the essence of Bernstein, warts and all, along with Felicia and their marriage."

"Maestro" is now playing in select theaters ahead of its arrival on Netflix on December 20, 2023.