Bradley Cooper is unrecognizable in first look at Netflix's Leonard Bernstein biopic

Netflix has shared the first look at Maestro, the upcoming biopic of legendary Broadway composer Leonard Bernstein. 

Bradley Cooper plays Bernstein and he's also directing the movie – his first time in the director's chair since his directorial debut, 2018's A Star is Born, which he also starred in alongside Lady Gaga.

Meanwhile, Carey Mulligan will play Bernstein's wife, Felicia Montealegre, while Maya Hawke will play their daughter Jamie. The cast also includes Jeremy Strong as critic, photographer, and composer John Gruen, along with Matt Bomer in an undisclosed role. 

The newly released set images show Cooper and Mulligan together, as well as Cooper, alone, as a much older version of Bernstein – he outlived his wife by 12 years.

Along with Cooper, Maestro also counts Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg among its producers. The movie has been in development for several years, and Spielberg was originally attached to direct before handing over the mantle to Cooper. 

"I [told Spielberg], '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?'" Cooper told Variety. "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. 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."

Bernstein is best known for writing the music for West Side Story and he also composed the score for the movie On the Waterfront and wrote a total of three symphonies. He received numerous awards in his lifetime, including seven Emmys, two Tonys, and sixteen Grammys, and passed away in 1990.

Maestro is due to arrive on the streamer in 2023. In the meantime, check out our picks of the best Netflix movies that you can watch right now.