Spielberg’s Aborted “Porgy and Bess” Film and Its Ripple Effects

Steven Spielberg disclosed that he once prepared a feature film about brothers Ira and George Gershwin and the process of writing and staging the opera “Porgy and Bess.” A script was completed, casting was underway, and he sought actor Todd Duncan for the role of Porgy. After meeting Colman Domingo, Spielberg intended to cast him as Duncan, but a “second thought” led him to abandon the project, preventing their early collaboration.

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“Porgy and Bess” began as DuBose Heyward’s 1925 novel, was adapted for stage by Heyward and his wife Dorothy, and became the Gershwin opera that has been performed worldwide. The 1959 Samuel Goldwyn film starred Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge. Spielberg later pursued stage-to-screen adaptations, most notably the 2021 “West Side Story,” which earned seven Oscar nominations and a win for Ariana DeBose.

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• 1959 – Goldwyn releases “Porgy and Bess” starring Poitier and Dandridge.

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• 2012 – Spielberg casts Domingo as Private Harold Green in “Lincoln.”

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• 2021 – “West Side Story” receives seven Oscar nominations, wins Supporting Actress.

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• 2023 – Spielberg produces “The Color Purple,” reuniting with Domingo.

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• June 2026 – Spielberg discusses the aborted Gershwin film on Amy Poehler’s “Good Hang” podcast.

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The project's cancellation marked the only missed chance for Spielberg and Domingo to collaborate before their later work on “Lincoln,” “The Color Purple,” and other films. Spielberg’s decision highlights how rare it is to halt a near-complete musical adaptation, a factor that may shape future casting, budgeting, and development strategies for large-scale stage-to-screen projects.

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Spielberg said the film reached the casting stage with a finished script and a target actor for Porgy. He cited a “second thought” as the decisive reason for stopping development, noting that this alone prevented an earlier partnership with Domingo. He reaffirmed his commitment to adapting stage works for the screen.

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• “I was going to make a movie about Ira and George Gershwin, and I was going to make a movie about the process of writing and staging Porgy and Bess,” — Steven Spielberg, Director

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• “I had a script, and I was excited, and I was casting it. And I was looking for Todd Duncan, who played Porgy, and I met a lot of actors, and when Colman came in to the meeting, that was the first time I met Colman, but I intended, after that meeting, to cast him as Todd Duncan.” — Steven Spielberg, Director

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• “What happened was, I had actually cast a lot of the movie and then I had a — something that doesn’t often happen when I’m that far down the line — but I had a kind of second thought about the project, and I decided not to continue making it,” — Steven Spielberg, Director

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• “That’s the only reason Colman and I didn’t work together then.” — Steven Spielberg, Director

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