Wicked (2024 film)

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 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.[1] 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.[2]

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.[3] In December 2012, following the success of Les Misérables,[4][5] Marc Platt, also a producer of the stage version, announced the film was going ahead,[6] later confirming the film was aiming for a 2016 release.[7] After a long development, Universal announced in 2017 that the film would be released in theatres on December 20, 2019, with Stephen Daldry directing.[8]

In May 2017, Schwartz stated that the film would feature "at least two" new songs.[9] 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.[10] On February 8, 2019, Universal announced a new release date of December 22, 2021, for the Wicked film.[11] 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.[12] 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.[13][14] In August, Alice Brooks was confirmed as the film's cinematographer, after working with Chu before on the film version of In the Heights.[15]

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

In November, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo were cast as Glinda and Elphaba.[16] In June 2022, Chu confirmed the hiring of Nathan Crowley as production designer.[17] On September 21, 2022, it was reported that Jonathan Bailey had joined the cast as Fiyero.[18] In October 2022, it was announced that Jeff Goldblum was in final talks to star as The Wizard.[19] Goldblum completed talks by December,[20] when Ethan Slater, Michelle Yeoh, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Keala Settle, Aaron Teoh and Colin Michael Carmichael were added to the cast.[21][22][23]

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".[24]

Principal photography was set to commence in June 2022 at the Sky Studios Elstree facilities in the United Kingdom.[25] In July 2021, Stephen Schwartz indicated there were plans to film in Atlanta in 2021.[26] On April 26, 2022, Chu announced the adaptation will be filmed in two parts, saying:[27]

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:[28]

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.[29] On December 9, Chu confirmed on Twitter that filming had begun.[30]

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[31] 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,[32][33] before filming was suspended by July 13, due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike,[34] with pick up shots and reshoots planned for early 2024.