Wicked movie: Everything you need to know
Part one will arrive in 2024
The first trailer for the film adaptation of Wicked has been released and we cannot wait! Here is everything you need to know about the adaptation:
WATCH: Wicked Movie Trailer
When will the Wicked movie be released?
Wicked: Part 1 will be now be released a month earlier than previously announced and will now be released on 27th November 2024 which is around Thanksgiving in the United States.
The second part has also been pushed forward with Deadline revealing that it will also have a Thanksgiving release with the story concluding in cinemas from 26th November 2025.
What is Wicked about?
Wicked is based on the novel by Gregory Maguire and tells us the story of the relationship between Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West (Elphaba) from The Wizard of Oz before Dorothy landed.
In this story we see how the pair meet at school, eventually become friends and the rift that grows when the pair share a love interest and have separate responses to the Wizard's corrupt government - which leads to Elphaba being branded as the Wicked Witch.
Who is directing?
The film is being directed by Jon M. Chu who is best known for directing the film Crazy Rich Asians. However, this won't be his first musical as he already directed the film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's In the Heights, so we know Wicked is in safe hands.
Wicked movie: Cast
Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba
Cynthia Erivo will play Elphaba, the misunderstood 'Wicked Witch of the West', Cynthia won a Grammy and a Tony Award for her role as Celie in the Broadway transfer of the Menier Chocolate Factory's production of The Color Purple. She also received two Oscar nominations for the film Harriet and an Emmy nomination for her role as Aretha Franklin in Genius: Aretha.
Ariana Grande as Glinda
Before Ariana Grande was the international pop star we know today, she appeared on Nickelodeon shows Victorious and Sam & Cat. She is no stranger to the world of musical theatre having started out her career in the Broadway production of Jason Robert Brown's 13 the musical.
Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero
You may have seen Jonathan on TV in Netflix's Bridgerton or ITV's Broadchurch. In the world of musical theatre Jonathan has appeared in The Last Five Years in London as well as winning an Olivier Award for the role of Jamie in Marianne Elliott's West End revival of Company. He's even presented his own shows here on Magic at the Musicals!
Michelle Yeoh as Maddame Morrible
Michelle Yeo reunites with director Jon M. Chu having both worked on Crazy Rich Asians together. Michelle's other film appearances include Tomorrow Never Dies, Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Ethan Slater as Boq
Ethan is best known for playing the titular role in The SpongeBob Musical on Broadway. He played Joel Grey in FX's Fosse/Verdon and he recently appeared in the Off-Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim's Assassins.
Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard
Jeff Goldblum will is heading to Oz to play the Wizard. Jeff's Hollywood career includes the Jurassic Park franchise, Independence Day, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Thor: Ragnarok.
Keala Settle as Miss Coddle
Keattle rose to fame from her role as Lettie Lutz in The Greatest Showman. On Broadway she appeared in Les Misérables and Waitress, she recently was on stage in the UK appearing in the West End production of & Juliet and Sister Act at the Hammersmith Apollo.
Also in the Cast is Marissa Bode as Nessarose, Elphaba's sister and Bowen Yang and Bronwyn James will play Elphaba and Glinda's classmates Pfannee and ShenShen.
Who wrote the music?
The music and lyrics of Wicked were written by Stephen Schwatrz, other notable musicals by Stephen include Godspell, Pippin and The Prince of Egypt.
Will there be any new music?
It's looking likely with composer Stephen Schwartz working on new songs for the film. Other musicals that received new songs for their film adaptations include Les Misérables, Everybody's Talking About Jamie and Dear Evan Hansen.
In The Schwartz Scene newsletter it was confirmed that Stephen is working on new music for the film with an image released of Stephen in the recording studio with music director Stephen Oremus and backing singers Troy Iwata, Marissa Rosen, and Wendi Bergamini.
The piece in question is in its demo phase which means there is no guarantee that the music he's working on right now will appear in the final films.
Who is writing the screenplay?
Stephen Schwartz is set to work alongside Winnie Holzman - who wrote the musical's book - on the film's screenplay. Mark Platt who produced the musical is also set to produce the film version.
Is the film in two parts?
Can you believe it? You wait YEARS for the Wicked movie and then two turn up at once! In April 2022 Jon M. Chu who announced that the long-anticipated movie musical will span over two films.
In a Twitter post sent from his 'OzPhone', Jon explained the decision to split the story into two:
‘Here's what happened: as we prepared this production over the last year, it became increasingly clear that it would be impossible to wrestle the story of WICKED into a single film without doing some real damage to it. 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!!!! With more space, we can tell the story of WICKED as it was meant to be told while bringing even more depth and surprise to the journeys of these beloved characters.
‘Cynthia, Ariana, and I - and all of the cast and crew - pledge to create nothing less than an experience that honors its foundation for all the fans who've waited for this movie, and to offer a thrilling, fantastical world full of dynamic characters that invites in those who are unfamiliar.’(sic)
Stephen Schwartz has also commented on the decision to split Wicked into two films: “The truth is we tried for some time to make it one movie, even if it had to be one very long movie. But we kept running into two problems. The first is that even as a very long single movie, it required us cutting or omitting things that we wanted to include and that we think fans of the show and the story will appreciate.
“Secondly, we found it very difficult to get past ‘Defying Gravity’ without a break. That song is written specifically to bring a curtain down, and whatever scene to follow it without a break just seemed hugely anti-climactic. So, for these two reasons, plus the excitement of doing something that’s never been done before with a musical, we have decided to do two movies.”
He hasn't ruled out going back on this decision though adding: “Of course, when it’s all done, if it doesn’t work that way, we’ll have to figure something out. But we strongly believe that this is what’s best for our story, our show, and our fans.”
How to watch the Wicked movie
Release information is yet to be announced but we can expect it to hit cinemas first before it's released on any other platform.
Check out these movie musicals that are in the works:
The Little Mermaid
Disney are back with another reimagining of one of their classic animations. This live-action version of The Little Mermaid will star Halle Bailey as Ariel, Hamilton's Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, and Bridesmaids' Melissa McCarthy as Ursula.
The film will be directed by Rob Marshall who has directed other brilliant musical adaptations including Chicago and Into the Woods. Howard Ashman and Alan Menken's music from the original will be featured as well as some new music written by Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
The Little Mermaid will be arriving in UK cinemas on 26th May 2023.
The Color Purple
The musical adaptation of Alice Walker's The Color Purple is set to be turned into a film by Warner Brothers. So far In the Height's Corey Hawkins and singer/songwriter H.E.R are set to star in the film which will be directed by Black is King's Blitz Bazawule.
The Color Purple is expected to be released in December 2023.
Snow White
Another classic to get a live action remake is Disney's first ever animated feature film, Snow White. West Side Story star Rachel Zegler is playing the titular role with Wonder Woman's Gal Gadot set to play the Evil Queen.
While we expect songs from the original 1937 film to be included, there will also be new music from Dear Evan Hansen and The Greatest Showman composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
Snow White is set to arrive in cinemas in March 2024.
Wicked
We can't have a list of upcoming movie musicals without talking about the Wicked movie. Stephen Schwartz's musical telling the untold story of the witches of Oz has been a worldwide smash hit since the show opened on Broadway all the way back in 2003.
Now despite plenty of delays, the film going ahead. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande will lead the film as Elphaba and Glinda. In the Heights and Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu is directing the film.
Filming is currently underway and the adaptation will be released in two parts released during the festive periods of 2024 and 2025.
Spamalot
Spamalot, the hilarious musical adaptation of the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail in the works at Paramount. A lot of the development is complete with a screenplay written by Monty Python's very own Eric Idle.
The film adaptation will be directed by Casey Nicholaw, who choreographed the original Broadway production of Spamalot as well as working as a director and choreographer on many notable productions such as the Broadway productions of The Book of Mormon, Mean Girls, and the recent West End revival of Dreamgirls.
We haven't heard anything since January 2021 but work on the film was supposed to have started by the end of last year.
Sunset Boulevard
The iconic musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black is one that's been in the pipeline for quite some time, approximately two decades in fact! The film has faced multiple hurdles over the years which still seem to be continuing.
Glenn Close, who starred as Norma Desmond in the original Broadway production in 1994 as well as the West End and Broadway revivals in 2016 and 2017 respectively, was set to produce the film and reprise her role again once more. When speaking to Vogue magazine last year, she said: "We're just waiting for an absolute green light" and that she hoped to start filming that summer.
But our dreams were dashed and this plan did not go ahead with Paramount stalling production. Andrew Lloyd Webber said: "Paramount has not wanted to go ahead with it". So all we can do now is hope that we can do now is hope they change their mind.
Merrily We Roll Along
Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's 1981 musical Merrily We Roll Along will be getting the movie treatment – the long way round. The musical is based on George S. Kaufman's play of the same name and tells the story of three friends over the course of 20 years, starting at the end and heading backwards in time.
Richard Linklater will be writing and directing the film and he will be returning to the technique he used for Boyhood, where the film will be filmed in real-time across the two decades. So don't expect to be seeing this film until the 2040s. The film is set to star Dear Evan Hansen's Ben Platt, Beanie Feldstein (who's about to lead Funny Girl on Broadway) and Blake Jenner (What/If, Glee).
Mean Girls
In 2018, a musical adaptation of Tina Fay's iconic film, Mean Girls opened on Broadway with music and lyrics by Jeff Richmond and Nell Benjamin. The show was a hit and earned Tina Fey a Tony nomination for the show's book. Now a new film adapted from the musical is in the works with Tina Fey at the helm. The film will be directed by husband-wife team Arturo Perez Jr. and Samantha Jayne.
In 2022 it was announced that Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Auli'i Cravalho, and Jaquel Spivey will play Cady, Regina, Janis, and Damian, respectively. No release date has been announced as of yet but the film has begun production and it's set to be released on Paramount+.
A Chorus Line
Possibly one of the most fascinating projects on this list, Ryan Murphy (Glee, American Horror Story, The Prom) is working on a new adaptation of A Chorus Line. This new take on the iconic Broadway musical will not be another film version like the one that came out in 1985. Instead, we'll be getting a miniseries that will also explore the musical's creative process.
The show was developed after a group of Broadway dancers came together and shared their stories onto some tapes. When speaking to Deadline in 2020, Ryan said: "I got the rights to all of those interviews. I have all of those tapes. I have all of that material about how was 'What I Did For Love,' what is that about? How was 'Dance: Ten, Looks: Three?'"
There is no release date yet, but we do know that it will be heading for Netflix when it is released.
Once on This Island
Once on this Island is an adaptation of the 1985 novel titled My Love, My Love; or, The Peasant Girl by Rosa Guy. The musical, with music and lyrics by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens recently had a successful revival on Broadway and is now set for a film adaptation to be released on Disney+.
The screenplay will be written by playwright Jocelyn Bioh with notable plays such as School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, and The Ladykiller's Love Story. The film will be directed by Africa Movie Academy Award-winner Wanuri Kahiu.
Follies
Another Sondheim musical heading for the big screen is Follies which has a book by James Goldman and first opened in 1971. We know very little about this adaptation, but production company Heyday Films have said that a script is "in active development". It wouldn't be the first time the musical's been on the big screen, the National Theatre's 2017 revival was filmed and released in UK cinemas.
Little Shop of Horrors
A new movie adaptation of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's Little Shop of Horrors is in the works. The musical is based on the 1960 film of the same name and is about a florist who discovers a plant that needs human blood to survive. This adaptation of the musical would be the second after Frank Oz' 1986 version.
There's limited casting information but Billy Porter (Pose, Cinderella) will play the role of the carnivorous plant Audrey II. Roumoured casting includes Rocketman's Taron Egerton as Seymour, and Marvel Cinematic Universe alumni Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans as Audrey and her dentist boyfriend Orin Scrivello.
The last we heard of this production was in early 2020 before the pandemic hit so don't expect to see this too soon.
Bare: A Pop Opera
Bare captured the hearts of many young musical theatre fans which its story of two schoolboys who fall in love but struggle to confront who they are. The musical quickly became a beloved musical for its LGBT+ storyline.
In 2018 it was announced that the director of the original Los Angeles and New York productions, Kristin Hanggi would write and direct a movie adaptation of the show. At the time of writing there hasn't been an update on the project since the announcement but we're still holding out hope that we'll get one!
Be More Chill
Based on the 2004 novel of the same name by Ned Vizzini, Be More Chill tells the story of a teenage boy who takes a pill containing a tiny computer that will change his behaviour to make him popular. The show became a recent hit in recent years having transferred to Broadway and the West End. In 2018, it was announced that a film adaptation was in the works with distribution rights secured by 20th Century Studios.
Spring Awakening
Now we have very little info on this one however there looks like there could be a Spring Awakening movie in the pipeline. While rumours of a film have been floating around for about a decade, the musical's writer Steven Sater tweeted in 2020 that there could be some progress on the project.
However, we're not getting our hopes up just yet as this one still looks to be a long way away.
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