(Updated 05/15/2024)
Universal Pictures is ready to defy gravity at long last with WICKED, the much-anticipated movie adaptation of the iconic Broadway musical. First announced many years ago, the WICKED movie has had a long journey to the silver screen. But now the movie has been filmed, release dates have been set, and the first trailer is out.
Based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,” the story in WICKED follows the relationship between Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Galinda, later renamed Glinda the Good Witch. The stage musical became a hit back in 2003, with Idina Menzel starring as Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda. It has since been staged in off-Broadway productions worldwide. The original Broadway run won three Tony Awards and the original cast album won a Grammy.
Now, after much fanfare, the heralded musical comes to the big screen this fall. Here's everything you need to know about WICKED.
What's the Wicked Release Date?
WICKED, will open exclusively in movie theaters on November 27, 2024.
Yes, Wicked Will Be Two Movies
That's "movies," plural, as WICKED is set be a two-parter. Back in 2022, director Jon M. Chu said,
"As we prepared the production over the past 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 felt like fatal compromises to the source material that has entertained us all for so many years."
So we'll see two WICKED movies instead of one! The second WICKED movie is scheduled for release on November 26, 2025.
Watch the New Wicked Trailer
The first look at WICKED spent most of its time giving us a look at the world of Oz, the creation of which was clearly a massive undertaking. The producers have spoken often in the last two years of how much of Oz was built as a physical space rather than existing only as CG elements.
The new WICKED trailer, seen above, sets up the story and characters in a much more specific way. If you've seen the stage show, this will quickly orient you to the film's approach. If you're new to this particular telling of the Oz story, this trailer will give you the basics.
Who Plays Galinda and Elphaba in Wicked Movie?
Filling the shoes of Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth is no easy feat, but the women set for WICKED's main roles are more than up to the task. Elphaba will be played by Cynthia Erivo, who gained recognition from starring on Broadway in the revival of "The Color Purple," and later made the jump to film with BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE, WIDOWS, and HARRIET. (That last movie got her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.)
Meanwhile, Glinda the Good Witch will be portrayed by none other than pop sensation Ariana Grande, who also has film, television, and stage acting experience.
Who's in the Wicked Cast?
In addition to Erivo and Grande, the WICKED cast features a large cast of luminaries. Two of them play key roles, as seen in the trailer. Michelle Yeoh plays Madame Morrible, the headmistress of Shiz University. And Jeff Goldblum appears as the Wizard of Oz.
The Winkie prince Fiyero Tigelaar is played by Jonathan Bailey; Ethan Slater is the Munchkin, Boq; Marissa Bode is Nessarose Thropp, Elphaba's sister; Bowen Yang is Pfannee; Bronwyn James is ShenShen; Aaron Teoh is Avaric; and Colin Michael Carmichael plays Professor Nikidik.
There are at least a couple of new characters created for the movie, too: Miss Coddle, played by Keala Settle, and Glinda's father, played by Adam James.
Does Dorothy Appear in Wicked?
Yes, Dorothy Gale, the heroine of THE WIZARD OF OZ, will show up in WICKED. We do not know who has been cast to play the important role, however. Dorothy is a fairly significant character in Act Two of the original stage musical, which raises questions about how she could appear in the first movie.
If we had to guess, we'd expect the first WICKED movie to end with Elphaba being set up as the Wicked Witch of the West, and with Dorothy's arrival in Oz. The mid-show act break for the stage musical culminates a bit earlier in the story than that, with Elphaba's signature song, "Defying Gravity." That will likely be the climactic moment in the movie, too. But we might see a few scenes after that sequence, possibly including Dorothy's arrival.
Who Directed the Wicked Movie?
CRAZY RICH ASIANS and IN THE HEIGHTS director Jon M. Chu directed WICKED.
Chu has displayed clear skill in adapting a musical to film with the 2021 IN THE HEIGHTS movie. We're confident that he’ll be able to do the same for WICKED. Along with Chu, a handful of people involved with the original Broadway production are on board for the film. This includes co-music and lyric writers Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman, who will be adapting the screenplay, and Marc Platt, who is returning to produce the film.
How Will the Wicked Movies Differ from the Musical?
Probably the biggest question on every fan’s mind right now is just how the movie interpretation of WICKED will differ from the beloved musical. Well, according to Erivo, there will be a little bit of a difference, revealing that the filmmakers plan to put their own spin on things. Meanwhile, >a href="https://ew.com/comic-con/2016/07/21/wicked-movie-new-songs-stephen-schwartz/">Stephen Schwartz revealed back in 2016 that the film would be featuring four all-new songs. One was actually written for the original Broadway production but cut from the final version.
WICKED opens on November 27.
All images courtesy of Universal Pictures.