Maestro is a 2023 American biographical romantic drama film that centers on the relationship between American composer Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre. It was directed by Bradley Cooper, from a screenplay he wrote with Josh Singer. It was produced by Cooper, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Kristie Macosko Krieger, Fred Berner, and Amy Durning. The film stars Carey Mulligan as Montealegre alongside Cooper as Bernstein. Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke, and Sarah Silverman appear in supporting roles.
Plans for a Leonard Bernstein biopic began in 2008, but languished in development hell for nearly a decade at Paramount Pictures. At various points both Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg were attached to direct, but both eventually dropped out but remained on the project as producers. Cooper, who had already signed on to star in 2017, was then named as director following an early screening of his directorial debut A Star Is Born (2018), and he rewrote Singer's original script. The rest of the cast joined between 2020 and 2023, and filming took place between May and October 2022, in Los Angeles, Massachusetts, Bernstein's home in Connecticut, and England.
Maestro premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2023, where it was nominated for the Golden Lion.
