Ready to defy gravity?
We’ll call it wonderful that it’s finally happening.
But now, 20 years after it first enchanted theater audiences,Wickedis ready to work its magic anew.
Universal Stage Productions; Leon Bennett/WireImage
All the while, the two women fall for the same man, party boy Fiyero.
With music and lyrics byStephen Schwartzand a book by Winnie Holzman, the musical became an instant classic.
Here’s everything we know about theWickedfilm adaptation.
Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images; Frank Micelotta/Getty Images
Who’s directingWicked?
Universalneeded a musical wizard to helm their long-gestating adaptation.
How manyWickedmovies will there be?
‘Wicked’ stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande and its director, Jon M. Chu.Rich Fury/Getty Images; John Lamparski/FilmMagic; Art Streiber/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
A tale of friendship,Wickedis a firm reminder that two is better than one.
The filmmakers and Universal are taking that quite literally,dividing the musical into two movies.
We decided to give ourselves a bigger canvas and make not just oneWickedmovie but two!
Stephen Schwartzhas previously intimatedthat there will be new songs written for the film.
Still, what exactly will fill the entirety of two whole movies remains unclear.
What is theWickedrelease date?
The first entry of theWickedfilms will debut on Nov. 22, 2024.
The second movie is slated to hit theaters on November 26, 2025.
Prepare for sing-alongs to take one not one, but two holiday weekends.
Will the SAG-AFTRA strike delay the release ofWicked?
But director Jon M. Chu wrote on Twitter that the “release date shouldn’t be affected.”
“Not done yet,” he wrote.
“Just paused until the strike is over and we can finish the last pieces of the movie.
We were only a few days away from being done so we were SO close.
It’s been very painful to put a halt to it all but we will be back!
And we will finish properly strong when the time is right.
It has been an extraordinary adventure… more to do.
#WickedMovie”
Who will play Galinda and Elphaba?
But in the end, Chuchose a Broadway chanteuse and a pop starto anchor his musical extravaganza.
Grande evenreceived the blessingof original Galinda, Kristin Chenoweth.
Meanwhile, Erivo is already plotting how she’ll deliver Elphaba’s signature song, “Defying Gravity.”
Shepreviously told EW, “I’ve been listening to it, and I’ve sung it.
I kind of just go with it, naturally.
There’s the temptation to push and to do too much with it.
I don’t know that that’s what my method will be.
I think my method will be to communicate the meaning of the song as much as I can.”
In April 2023, Chu shared a first look at Erivo and Grande as Elphaba and Glinda.
“You weren’t told the whole story,” he wrote on Twitter.
“What happens when you veer off the Yellow Brick Road?
Here is your very FIRST LOOK of #WickedMovie…currently in production in Oz.”
“They are brilliant and matched by an equally brilliant cast.”
Who else is in the cast?
The two witches aren’t the only actors who’ve had their lives changed for good.
Chu has also announced his Fiyero(ooooooo), Madam Morrible, Boq, and Nessarose.
But no official shots of Fiyero have been released yet.
Yeoh has described her role as a risky proposition, pivoting from her more dramatic and action-based work.
“It’s very exciting, and I can’t wait for you all to see it.
Goldblum told Jimmy Kimmel that working onWickedisreviving his childhood fear of witches.
“Witches scare me!
And I showed them that movie and we didn’t get through it,” he concluded.
“The Witch is terrifying.Margaret Hamilton.
You should see our witches, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
If so, who would play him?
Was Kate Middleton secretly filming a cameo as the Shiz University goat?
What about the other characters?
Newcomer Marissa Bode will portray Elphaba’s sister Nessarose, called Nessa for short.
Like her character, Bode uses a wheelchair.
SNLstarBowen Yangwill also appearin a small role as Pfannee, a classmate of Galinda and Elphaba at Shiz.
Adam James (The Buccaneers) will appear in a new role as Glinda’s father.
IsWickedstill filming?
Principal photography forWickedwrapped in Jan. 2024, leaving a big handprint on the hearts of its stars.
I hope when you meet her, youll love her as much and as fiercely as I do.
Bailey kept his message short, sweet and pegged to Fiyero, writing, Danced on through.
Director Chu also chimed in to thank everyone involved and bid production a final farewell with acarousel of photos.
And… click… click… click.
When can I see a trailer?
Some lucky audience members also got to see footage at CinemaCon.
Chu promised that Oscar-winner Yeoh “brings a whole new dynamic to Madame Morrible.”
He says, “Emerald City is a world that can only be realized on film.”
“This movie has everything: giant musical numbers, big action pieces.
It’s about change and [how] it’s necessary for things to get better.”
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