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Wicked (2024 film)

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Wicked
File:Wicked (film, poster).jpeg
Teaser poster
Directed byJon M. Chu
Written byWinnie Holzman
Based on
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyAlice Brooks
Edited byMyron Kerstein
Music byStephen Schwartz
Production
company
Marc Platt Productions
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • November 27, 2024 (2024-11-27)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$145 million

Wicked (also known as Wicked: Part One) is an upcoming American musical fantasy film directed by Jon M. Chu and written by Winnie Holzman. It is the first of a two-part film adaptation of the stage musical of the same name by Stephen Schwartz and Holzman, which in turn was based on the 1995 novel of the same name by Gregory Maguire. The film stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, with Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, and Keala Settle in supporting roles. Set in the Land of Oz before and continuing after Dorothy Gale's arrival from Kansas, it revolves around Elphaba Thropp, a green-skinned woman, and explores the path that leads her to become the Wicked Witch of the West, all while forming an unlikely friendship and later rivalry with Galinda Upland, who would go on to become Glinda the Good.

In 2012, Universal Pictures announced the film's development with Marc Platt as a producer. After a long development and multiple delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chu was hired to direct, with Erivo and Grande cast in their respective roles in 2021. Principal photography began in December 2022 in England, but was paused from July until November 2023 due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Filming eventually resumed and concluded in January 2024.

Wicked is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on November 27, 2024. A direct sequel, Wicked Part Two, is set to be released on November 26, 2025.

Cast

The film stars Cynthia Erivo (left) as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda.

Production

Development

Director Jon M. Chu (left) and composer Stephen Schwartz

In 2003, the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, a revisionist exploration of the characters and setting of L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, was adapted as the Broadway musical Wicked. The musical was produced by Universal Pictures' stage division and directed by Joe Mantello, with musical staging by Wayne Cilento. The Broadway production has inspired long-run productions in Chicago, London, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, as well as Germany and Japan. It was nominated for ten Tony Awards, winning three, and is the 4th longest-running Broadway show in history, with over 7,500 performances. The original Broadway production starred Idina Menzel as Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda.

In a 2009 interview, Maguire stated that he had sold the rights to ABC to make an independent non-musical TV adaptation of Wicked. It would not be based on Holzman's script.[8] On January 9, 2011, it was reported by Entertainment Weekly that ABC would be teaming up with Salma Hayek and her production company to create a TV miniseries of Wicked based solely on Maguire's novel. No further information, such as casting, had been revealed yet.[9]

Chenoweth and Menzel were mentioned as possible film leads. Lea Michele and Amy Adams were also rumored to be potential leads. Potential writers included Winnie Holzman and Stephen Schwartz, while J. J. Abrams, Rob Marshall, James Mangold, and Ryan Murphy were mentioned as possible candidates for director.[10] In December 2012, following the success of Les Misérables,[11][12] Marc Platt, also a producer of the stage version, announced the film was going ahead,[13] later confirming the film was aiming for a 2016 release.[14] After a long development, Universal announced in 2016 that the film would be released in theatres on December 20, 2019, with Stephen Daldry directing.[15] By 2024, Holzman was credited as the sole writer.[16]

Pre-production

In May 2017, Schwartz stated that the film would feature "at least two" new songs.[17] On August 31, 2018, Universal put the film on hold, due to production scheduling, and gave the film adaptation of Cats the release date formerly held by the film.[18] On February 8, 2019, Universal announced a new release date of December 22, 2021, for the Wicked film.[19] On April 1, 2020, Universal put the film on hold once again due to Universal shifting release dates amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and gave Sing 2 the 2021 release date.[20] On October 20, 2020, it was announced that Daldry had left the production due to scheduling conflicts. On February 2, 2021, it was announced that Jon M. Chu will take over as director.[21][22] In August, Alice Brooks was confirmed as the film's cinematographer, after working with Chu before on the film version of In the Heights.[23]

The film's main supporting cast includes Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum.

In November, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo were cast as Glinda and Elphaba.[1] Erivo previously had performed "I Couldn't Be Happier", a song from the musical, in the PBS special Wicked in Concert.[24] In June 2022, Chu confirmed the hiring of Nathan Crowley as production designer.[25] On September 21, 2022, it was reported that Jonathan Bailey had joined the cast as Fiyero.[6] In October 2022, it was announced that Jeff Goldblum was in final talks to star as The Wizard.[26] Goldblum completed talks by December,[5] when Ethan Slater, Michelle Yeoh, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Keala Settle, Aaron Teoh and Colin Michael Carmichael were added to the cast.[2][4][7]

About preparing for the role of Elphaba, Erivo said to Variety, while expressing her desire to see the stage version on Broadway again before filming: "I'm relearning everything ... I want to go and see it again. ... When I get to New York at some point I'll pop in and see the show again, that'll be my fifth time." She also said at that time that discussions were underway on what the film will look like, particularly its production design and visual style, and confirmed the hiring of Paul Tazewell as costume designer. Her request to him for Elphaba's costume when she becomes the Wicked Witch of the West involved "a Jean Paul Gaultier collection with a 'new world, kind of gilded age' feeling".[27]

Filming

Principal photography was set to commence in June 2022 at the Sky Studios Elstree facilities in the United Kingdom.[28] In July 2021, Stephen Schwartz indicated there were plans to film in Atlanta that year.[29] On April 26, 2022, Chu announced the adaptation will be filmed in two parts, Wicked and Wicked Part Two, saying:[30]

As we prepared the production over the last year, it became 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. 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 for these beloved characters.

In June 2022, Stephen Schwartz confirmed that a new song would be written for one of the two films:[31]

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 ... 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. What we have discussed is that changes need to be 'additive,' to use (producer) Marc Platt's term. They need to add something to the story or the characters. They can't just be changes to do something different. I feel confident that by the time the movie is made, if we all continue to have the same degree of input, I could have a conversation with anyone who has a question about any of the changes made from the stage show and justify why I think it's better for the movie.

On July 18, it was revealed that with the filming process settled at the newly-built Sky Studios in Elstree, England, rehearsals would begin in August with principal photography beginning in November.[32] On December 9, Chu confirmed on Twitter that filming had begun.[33]

On September 23, Planning Statement, in support of a planning application submitted on behalf of Western Sky Limited, indicated that outdoor filming would occur at a site being developed at Ivinghoe Turf[34] in Ivinghoe, Buckinghamshire, UK. The original planned shooting dates were between April 6, 2023 and July 14, 2023, with principal photography set to wrap on July 25, 2023,[35][36] before filming was suspended from July 13, 2023 to November 8, 2023 due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.[37] Filming resumed on January 24, 2024 and concluded on January 26, with Chu then revealing that the vocals of the actors during the musical numbers were recorded live on set. Academy Award-winning production sound mixer Simon Hayes collaborated with Chu on the recordings of the actors' vocals, using a variation of the same recording techniques that were implemented on Les Misérables.[38][39][40][41]

Post-production and visual effects

On February 6, 2024, it was confirmed on Twitter that Industrial Light & Magic will provide the film's visual effects with Pablo Helman serving as visual effects supervisor, and that post-production work was in progress, with Chu working remotely with editor Myron Kerstein via communication through the newly-released Apple Vision Pro.[42][43][44]

Music

The soundtrack albums for both Wicked and Wicked Part Two will be released by Republic Records/Verve Label Group, Grande's record label.

Marketing

On April 16, 2023, first-look pictures of the film were released through social media, featuring Erivo's Elphaba and Grande's Glinda.[45][46] Exclusive work-in-progress footage from the film, featuring first listens to Grande and Erivo's respective renditions of "Popular" and "Defying Gravity", was then presented at CinemaCon on April 26, 2023, introduced on stage by Universal Pictures chairwoman Donna Langley.[47] The first trailer for the film premiered during Super Bowl LVIII on February 11, 2024.[48][49]

Release

Originally announced as one film, Wicked was split into two films in April 2022. The first half, titled simply Wicked, is scheduled to be released theatrically, with engagements in IMAX and Dolby Cinema, on November 27, 2024, by Universal Pictures. It was scheduled to be released theatrically on December 25, 2024,[30] but on March 14, 2023, it was announced that it would be moved up to its current November release date to avoid competition with Avatar 3 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the former of which was later delayed to 2025 after Thunderbolts, and later Mufasa: The Lion King took its date.[50]

Sequel

Main article: Wicked Part Two

A direct sequel, Wicked Part Two, is scheduled to be released on November 26, 2025, after previously being set for a December 25, 2025 release.[51]

References

  1. ^ a b c Shaffer, Ellise; Donnelly, Matt (November 4, 2021). "Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo to Star in 'Wicked' Musical for Universal". Variety. Archived from the original on June 15, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Jackson, Angelique (December 7, 2022). "Wicked Movie Casts Ethan Slater Opposite Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on December 13, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  3. ^ Jackson, Angelique (December 7, 2022). "Wicked Movie Casts Ethan Slater Opposite Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on December 13, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Malkin, Marc (December 8, 2022). "Michelle Yeoh to Star in Wicked Movies as Madame Morrible (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on February 15, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Laudenbach, Sarah (December 10, 2022). "Jeff Goldblum Confirmed As Wicked's Wizard Of Oz In Exciting Movie Update". Screen Rant. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Malkin, Marc (September 21, 2022). "Jonathan Bailey Joins 'Wicked' Movies as Fiyero (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on February 15, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d Kroll, Justin (December 9, 2022). "Wicked Adaptation At Universal Rounds Out Inclusive All-Star Cast With Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang and Bronwyn James". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 17, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  8. ^ "Gregory Maguire on Wickedness Post-Bush". Archived from the original on January 3, 2010. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  9. ^ "ABC, Salma Hayek developing 'Wicked' miniseries". EW.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  10. ^ Jamie Sharp (September 6, 2010). "Finally – Wicked: The Movie This Way Comes!". Archived from the original on January 3, 2011. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
  11. ^ Universal Chairman Wants 'Fifty Shades' for Summer 2014, More 'Bourne' and 'Van Helsing' Reboot (Q&A) Archived 2013-06-05 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved February 21, 2013
  12. ^ LES MIS Hit Status Leading To WICKED At Universal? Archived 2013-03-13 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved February 21, 2013
  13. ^ WICKED Film to Enter Development 'Soon' Archived 2016-03-01 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved December 13, 2012
  14. ^ "Wicked movie finally seems to be on course, set for 2016 release". Film Divider. Archived from the original on January 23, 2016. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  15. ^ "Universal's 'Wicked' Movie Adaptation Gets December 2019 Release". Hollywood Reporter. June 16, 2016. Archived from the original on January 6, 2019. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  16. ^ Bergeson, Samantha (February 11, 2024). "Wicked Teaser: Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Defy Gravity in Wizard of Oz Prequel". IndieWire. Archived from the original on February 12, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  17. ^ "Stephen Schwartz: 'Wicked' Movie to Feature 'at Least Two' New Songs" Archived 2020-07-06 at the Wayback Machine variety.com.
  18. ^ "'Cats' Will Pounce During Christmas 2019 Frame; 'Wicked' Moves" Archived 2018-08-31 at the Wayback Machine deadline.com.
  19. ^ "Wicked Feature Adaptation Moved to December 2021" Archived January 20, 2021, at the Wayback Machine Comingsoon.net.
  20. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (April 1, 2020). "'Minions: The Rise Of Gru', 'Sing 2' Set New 2021 Release Dates; 'Wicked' Still Brewing Slot". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 1, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  21. ^ "'Wicked' Director Stephen Daldry Exits Universal Movie Musical Adaptation". Deadline Hollywood. October 20, 2020. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020.
  22. ^ Kroll, Justin (February 2, 2021). "'Wicked': Jon M. Chu Tapped To Direct Universal's Film Adaptation". Deadline. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  23. ^ Chitwood, Adam (August 31, 2021). "'Wicked' Movie Will Reunite Director Jon M. Chu With His 'In the Heights' Cinematographer Alice Brooks". Collider. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  24. ^ "I Couldn´t Be Happier" ~ Cynthia Erivo / Wicked In Concert by PBS. 2022. [1]
  25. ^ O'Connell, Sean (June 1, 2022). "Jon M. Chu's Praise For Ariana Grande And Cynthia Erivo Will Get You Hyped For The Wicked Movie". CINEMABLEND. Archived from the original on June 11, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  26. ^ Malkin, Marc (October 28, 2022). "Jeff Goldblum in Final Talks to Join 'Wicked' Movies as the Wizard (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  27. ^ Urban, Sasha (April 4, 2022). "Cynthia Erivo Says She Wants to See 'Wicked' One More Time Before Making the Movie". Variety. Archived from the original on April 16, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  28. ^ Kit, Borys (October 27, 2021). "Universal's 'Wicked' Movie Hits New Speed Bump". The Hollywood Reporter. PMRC. Archived from the original on December 18, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  29. ^ Wood, Alex (July 2, 2021). "Stephen Schwartz: Wicked movie to start production later this year in Georgia". WhatsOnStage. Archived from the original on February 18, 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  30. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 26, 2022). "Universal Releasing 'Wicked' Musical In Two Parts". Deadline. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  31. ^ Willman, Chris (June 28, 2022). "'Wicked' Songwriter Stephen Schwartz on Why the Movie Must Be a Two-Parter: Nothing Can Follow 'Defying Gravity'". Variety. Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  32. ^ Major, Michael (July 18, 2022). "WICKED Movie to Begin Principal Photography in November". BroadwayWorld. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  33. ^ Chu, Jon M. [@jonmchu] (December 9, 2022). "Lost my phone…so I couldn't keep up today with the announcements especially while we were shooting day 3 here in London. Just know things are going great. The #WickedMovie is really happening and I have 3 days of footage of prove it :) oh also JEFF GOLDBLUME IS THE WIZARD!!!! https://t.co/ygjqdR7TVy" (Tweet). Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2023 – via Twitter.
  34. ^ Audits, DJ. "Ivinghoe Turf 360° Outdoor Set Construction". Google Maps. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  35. ^ "PLANNING STATEMENT TO SUPPORT APPLICATION FOR PLANNING PERMISSION (INCLUDING DESIGN & ACCESS STATEMENT)". Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  36. ^ Filming Has Started At The Wicked Movie Set 🎞📽🎥🛸😲✔. DJ AUDITS. April 21, 2023. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2023 – via YouTube.
  37. ^ Gonzalez, Umberto (July 14, 2023). "Here Are All The Movies Affected by the SAG-AFTRA Strike From Deadpool 3 to Mission: Impossible 8 (Photos)". TheWrap. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  38. ^ Rahbar, Sabba (January 24, 2024). "Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater Hold Hands While Taking Their Love From Emerald City to New York City". E! Online. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  39. ^ Anderson, Jenna (January 27, 2024). "Wicked Movie Wraps Filming, Cynthia Erivo Shares Major Set Photo". Comicbook.com. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  40. ^ Tinoco, Armando (January 27, 2024). "'Wicked' Musical Adaptation Wraps Filming: Ariana Grande & Director Jon M. Chu Share Emotional Messages". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  41. ^ "Wicked The Movies: What we know so far". westendtheatre.com. March 15, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  42. ^ https://twitter.com/jonmchu/status/1754918878638133500
  43. ^ https://twitter.com/jonmchu/status/1754760775145787902
  44. ^ Frei, Vincent (November 2, 2023). "Killers of the Flower Moon: Pablo Helman - Production VFX Supervisor – ILM". The Art of VFX (in French). Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  45. ^ Wang, Jessica (April 16, 2023). "Wicked movies director shares first-look photos of Glinda and Elphaba". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  46. ^ Chu, John M. (April 16, 2023). "You weren't told the whole story. What happens when you veer off the Yellow Brick Road? Here is your very FIRST LOOK of #WickedMovie … currently in production in Oz. 🌪️🫧🧹 @WickedMovie @UniversalPics". X. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  47. ^ "'Wicked' defies gravity with surprise footage reveal at CinemaCon". Entertainment Weekly.
  48. ^ "Super Bowl Movie Trailers: 'Deadpool 3,' 'Wicked' and 'Quiet Place' Prequel Spots Poised to Dominate Big Game". February 5, 2024.
  49. ^ "'Deadpool 3', 'Twisters', 'Quiet Place: Day One', 'Inside Out 2' Among Potential Super Bowl Movie Spots". February 5, 2024.
  50. ^ Petski, Densie (March 14, 2023). "Universal Moves Up 'Wicked' Part 1 Release Date". Deadline. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  51. ^ Kroll, Justin (June 20, 2023). "Wicked Part Two From Universal And Jon Chu Moves Up A Month To Thanksgiving 2025". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
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