Everything You Need to Know About the WICKED Movie
BroadwayWorld has updated all the information we could about the upcoming film!
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The hit Broadway musical Wicked is officially coming to the big screen! BroadwayWorld collected all the information we could about the upcoming film - including who's starring, what roles haven't yet been cast, and what will change from stage to screen.
The film will be released in two parts, the first being released on November 27, 2024 and the next part being released the year after.
Before Dorothy, before the flying house, and before the yellow brick road, there was Elphaba and Galinda. Born with emerald-green skin, Elphaba is smart, fiery, misunderstood and possesses extraordinary talent. When circumstances force her to room with the bubbly blonde and exceptionally popular, Galinda, their initial rivalry turns into the unlikeliest of friendships.
From the first electrifying note to the final breathtaking moment, Wicked tells the story of Oz that you've never heard.
Find out what we know about the upcoming Wicked movie below!
Who's in the cast of the Wicked movie?
The film will be lead by Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award winner Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Grammy Winner Ariana Grande as Glinda. Their pair's casting was announced through their Instagram accounts in November 2021. In September 2022, it was announced that Jonathan Bailey had joined the film as Fiyero.
On December 7, 2022, it was confirmed that Tony nominee Ethan Slater would be playing the role of Boq.
On December 8, 2022, it was confirmed that Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum had joined the cast as Madame Morrible and the Wizard, respectively.
On December 9, 2022, it was announced that Marissa Bode had joined the cast as Nessarose, Elphaba's younger sister.
Bowen Yang and Bronwyn James will play Shiz University classmates Pfannee and ShenShen, respectively.
Keala Settle will play Miss Coddle, with Aaron Teoh as Avaric and Michael Carmichael as Nikidik.
Adam James will also be seen in the film in an unspecified role.
Erivo made her Broadway debut reprising her starring role as 'Celie' in the critically acclaimed revival of "The Color Purple." She first played the role in 2013 at London's Menier Chocolate Factory and her performance on Broadway earned her several awards, including the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical, a Grammy award as a principal soloist on original cast recording of "The Color Purple" (Best Musical Theater Album), a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Musical Performance in a Daytime Program, the Drama Desk Award, Theatre World, and Outer Critics Circle Awards. Erivo is also a two-time Academy Award nominee for her leading performance and original song for the film Harriet.
Ariana Grande began professionally pursuing her musical career at only eight-years-old. She appeared in the original Broadway cast of Jason Robert Brown's 13: The Musical and played Penny Pingleton in the 2016 NBC live telecast of Hairspray. With albums including "Sweetener," "Thank U, Next," and "Positions," Grande is the winner of two Grammy awards, one Brit Award, two Billboard Music Awards, three American Music Awards, nine MTV Video Music Awards, and 26 Guinness World Records.
Bailey can most recently be seen starring as Anthony Bridgerton in Bridgerton. He will reprise his role in season three. Other film and television credits include Broadchurch, The Mercy, Michaela Coel's Chewing Gum and Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Crashing. He will appear alongsdie Matt Bomer in Showtime's Fellow Travelers limited series.
On the stage, Bailey has most recently starred in Marianne Elliott's sold-out revival of Cock, which opened to rave reviews in March 2022. Bailey previously collaborated with Elliott for the award-winning Company, alongside Patti LuPone, for which he won an Olivier Award. He also starred alongside Ian McKellen in KING Lear in 2017.
Ethan Slater is best known for his role as SpongeBob SquarePants in the musical of the same name, for which he received a Tony Award nomination for the Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical category. He was most recently seen in the Off-Broadway revival of Assassins as Lee Harvey Oswald/The Balladeer.
Yeoh previously worked with Chu on Crazy Rich Asians. She was recently seen in Everything Everywhere All At Once, for which she was won Hollywood Critics Association and Saturn Awards. She has also been seen in The School For Good & Evil, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Shang-Chi & the Legend of the 10 Rings, Tomorrow Never Dies, Avatar: the Way of Water.
Goldblum is best known for his work in blockbusters "Jurassic Park" and "Independence Day." He starred in "Thor: Ragnorak" in 2017 and currently hosts his own show on Disney+, The World According to Jeff Goldblum.
What roles haven't yet been cast in the Wicked movie?
The role of Dr. Dillamond is the only character from the stage musical that has yet to be announced.
It was previously revealed that the film was looking to authentically cast "wheelchair users" for the role of Nessarose, Elphaba's younger sister. The casting notice was released in December 2021 and no further casting has been announced for the role.
Director Jon M. Chu has also revealed that "the door is always open" to the original Broadway cast of Wicked making appearances in the film. "I'm not gonna say anything. I'm not gonna do anything yet, but of course that original cast is amazing," Chu revealed to ET.
Who's directing the Wicked movie?
Jon M. Chu is set to direct the upcoming film. Chu recently directed the acclaimed film adaption of In the Heights. Chu's other directorial credits include Crazy Rich Asians, Now You See Me 2, and Jem and the Holograms.
Previously, Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot) was attached to the project but has since departed.
Who wrote the Wicked movie?
The film will feature a screenplay by musical creators Winnie Holzman and Stephen Schwartz. The movie also features the iconic music by Schwartz, including "Defying Gravity," "For Good," "Popular," and "The Wizard and I." The film adaptation of Wicked is being produced by Marc Platt Productions.
Who is designing the Wicked movie?
Paul Tazewell will be designing the costumes for the new film. Cynthia Erivo revealed to Variety in March that she had spoken to Tazewell on the phone to discuss his vision for the costumes.
Paul Tazewell was recently nominated for an Academy Award for his costumes for the 2021 film adaption of West Side Story. His work has also been seen on screen in NBC's The Wiz LIVE! and Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert. Tazewell served as costume designer for the Broadway productions of Summer: the Donna Summer Musical, Hamilton, Ain't Too Proud, Memphis, In the Heights, The Color Purple, Caroline, Or Change, and more.
Cynthia Erivo has also revealed that they are currently deciding "how green we're gonna go and, like, what the stages are and whether or not it changes as she changes." She did confirm that she will be painted green and the green will not be CGI.
What's different about the movie?
As recently announced, the Wicked movie will be released in two parts. The films will be released a year apart, with the first coming out on November 27, 2024.
"As we tried to cut songs or trim characters, those decisions began to feel like fatal compromises to the source material that has entertained us all for so many years. So we decided to give ourselves a bigger canvas and make not just one Wicked movie but TWO," director Jon M. Chu released in a statement.
The films will expand upon the characters and storylines from the musical, bringing "more depth and surprise to the journeys of these beloved characters."
Composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz has revealed that the first film will most likely end after the musical's act one closer, "Defying Gravity." There will be two new songs found in the second part movie and several of the musical's existing songs are being reworking to fit the storytelling.
While most details for the film have been kept under wraps, Cynthia Erivo has teased that the film will be "unlike anything you've ever seen before."
"We are going to try and put our own spin on what we know already and show you a story about two women that are sisters," Erivo continued to state to ET on the SAG Awards red carpet in March.
A first look at the Wicked film's logo was revealed at the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas. While it is likely not the film's final artwork, take a look at the initial film poster below!
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- aritan updates (@armynator_) June 2, 2022
-the Wicked movie (in which ariana grande will star) were teased at @licensingexpo with a new poster and logo 🎬 pic.twitter.com/c1dUPylHw6
When does filming start?
The Wicked movie began filming on December 7, 2022. The cast and creative team of the film have been rehearsing in the U.K. since September 2022. The filming process will likey last one year. Deadline has reported that Wicked will be one of the first projects to be filmed at Elstree Studios in the U.K.
Ariana Grande teased her arrival in England to film the new movie on July 12. She shared photos of hot air ballons flying over a field and a framed photo of the Scarecrow from the original Wizard of Oz film.
On August 30, Grande took to Instagram to share a photo of her with a binder and wig cap looking at busts of characters from the original Wizard of Oz film, including Glinda the Good Witch. The post most likely signals that Grande is currently rehearsing for the upcoming movie.
BroadwayWorld will be sure to fill you in on additional changes and updates as we hear about them!
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