We have been waiting more than 20 years since it first debuted on Broadway, but Wicked has finally been treated to a big-budget, big-screen adaptation.
Universal first announced plans to adapt the Tony Award–winning Stephen Schwartz musical (which is itself based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel), with the aim of the 2021 release. However, the pandemic, SAG-AFTRA strike and other production roadblocks meant it was pushed back. Due to the scale, the film was also split in half, with parts one and two slated to hit theatres a year apart. The first of these will arrive this year and from what we know so far, it’s all set to be ‘Popular’ with audiences.
Of course, such a famous story deserved some A-list names to help tell it on-screen, and Universal certainly delivered on star power. With a cast made up of Oscar-winners, pop idols and even a Bridgerton alum, as well as a reported US$145 million budget and all-star production team, we will surely be in for a treat.
Scroll on for everything we know about the upcoming Wicked movie so far, including the cast, plot and Australian release date.
Is There a Movie Version of the Musical Wicked?
Yes, helmed by In The Heights director Jon M. Chu, the land of Oz is being adapted for the big screen.
Wicked first debuted on Broadway in 2003, starring idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth as Elphaba and Glinda, respectively. While the film will obviously take inspiration from the musical, star Cynthia Erivo noted in 2022 that there would be some slight differences.
“I think it’s going to be unlike anything you’ve ever seen before,” she told Entertainment Tonight. “I think we’re going to enjoy the magic of it. We’re going to try and put our own spin on what we know already and show you a story about two women [who] are sisters.”
Schwartz, the musical’s original creator who is also working on the film, shared that the movie will also include new music. In addition to classics like ‘Defying Gravity’ and ‘Something Bad,’ he reportedly said back in 2016 that that the film would probably include four brand-new songs.
Is There A Trailer For Wicked?
After a teaser dropped during the Super Bowl. the first official full-length trailer for Wicked was released on May 15.
Giving us a glimpse into Universal’s version of Oz and the Emerald City, the trailer features a snippet of Ariana Grande singing ‘Popular,’ and outlines the complex relationship between its two leads. For any Bridgerton fans, keep your eyes peeled for one Jonathan Bailey, who makes several appearances.
Watch the full trailer below.
How Many Wicked Movies Are There?
Universal’s big-screen adaptation of Wicked will be told via two films, which will premiere a year apart.
While it was initially supposed to be one film, Chu wrote on Twitter: “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!!!”
Wicked Movie Cast
Wicked has a stacked cast if we have ever seen one.
Tony-winner Cynthia Erivo takes the lead as the green-skinned Elphaba. She stars opposite pop icon Ariana Grande, who plays the blonde and bubbly Glinda.
Notably, joining the pair are Bridgerton hunk Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Elphaba and Glinda’s love interest; Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh of Everything Everywhere All At Once as their University Headmistress, Madame Morrible; and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard. Ethan Slater, who has long been rumoured to be dating Grande, also stars as Boq.
Other names featured on screen include Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Keala Settle, Colin Michael Carmichael and Aaron Teoh.
What is Wicked About?
We all know the story of Dorothy, ToTo and the Tin Man, but Wicked takes place long before the Kansas native drops into the Land of Oz. In fact, it actually details the unlikely friendship between the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch, as Dorothy knows them. The story follows the pair’s closeness when they are merely aspiring witches, charting their decent into enemy territory. The whole tale is punctuated by plenty of musical bangers, too.
When Will Wicked Be Released In Australia?
The first film, simply titled Wicked, will be released in Australian cinemas on November 22, 2024. Wicked: Part Two will follow the next year on November 27, 2025.
Part One was originally slated for a November 28 debut, but it has since been bumped up a week. Now, the film will land in cinemas the same weekend as Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II. Could this be Barbenheimer 2.0?
Watch here for updates.
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