10 Most Exciting Things To Expect From The Wicked Movie

The Star-Studded Cast

One of the joys of seeing Broadway musicals adapted for the big screen is the chance to see A-list movie stars take on iconic roles. The great Jeff Goldblum has been cast to play the Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the film adaptation of Wicked, and it’s hard to imagine a more perfect casting. Goldblum is always a magnetic screen presence, with a wonderfully eccentric acting style; he’ll surely make the role of the Wizard of Oz his own.

Jeff Goldblum as the Grandmaster in Thor Ragnarok

Jon M. Chu is in the director’s chair for the movie adaptation of Wicked, which is reassuring because Chu has a proven track record in the musical genre. He directed some astounding dance numbers in the Step Up sequels and brought the musical magic of Jem and the Holograms into live-action. If Chu’s Wicked movie is half as awe-inspiring as In the Heights, then audiences are in for a treat. Crazy Rich Asians isn’t a musical, but it’s further proof of Chu’s ability to bring lovable characters to life with stunning visuals.

Anthony Ramos and Melissa Barrera from In the Heights

After her Oscar-winning turn in Everything Everywhere All at Once showed off her untapped range, Michelle Yeoh has been enjoying a career renaissance. She appeared in A Haunting in Venice, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, and has a role in the upcoming Avatar sequels. That renaissance will continue in 2024 with the role of Madame Morrible, the headmistress of Shiz University, in the Wicked movie. This role will give Yeoh a chance to show off her comedic talents and musical abilities.

Michelle Yeoh as Evelyn Wang in a kung-fu stance in Everything Everywhere All at Once

Ariana Grande is mainly known as a singer, but the role of Galinda Upland in the cast of Wicked – who eventually becomes Glinda the Good – will give her the opportunity to do both at once. Grande’s incredible voice will bring the songs of Wicked to life.

Ariana Grande as Chanel no. 2 on Scream Queens

Bowen Yang, who became one of the breakout stars of Saturday Night Live, will surely give another standout performance when he plays Pfannee, one of Galinda’s friends from college, in the Wicked movie.

Bowen Yang as God in Dicks: The Musical

The lead character of Wicked, Elphaba Thropp – a young woman who’s born with green skin and eventually becomes the diabolical Wicked Witch of the West – will be played by Cynthia Erivo in the film adaptation. Erivo is known for her Tony and Grammy-winning performance in the Broadway revival of The Color Purple, and she has yet to break out with a blockbuster starring vehicle; Wicked could be that movie.

Wicked: Cynthia Erivo first look as Elphaba

Behind the Scenes Talent

The screenplay for the Wicked movie is credited to Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman, who penned the original musical. Schwartz wrote the music and lyrics while Holzman wrote the book. Bringing the original writers on board for the adaptation suggests this movie will be faithful to the source material.

Wicked:

Alice Brooks is working on Wicked as its director of photography, which means that the film’s visuals are in safe hands. Not only did she previously film Jem and the Holograms and In the Heights for Chu; she also lensed Tick, Tick... Boom!, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical biopic of Rent creator Jonathan Larson. Brooks has proven time and time again that she can breathe life into cinematic musical numbers. In her hands, Wicked will surely be a visual delight.

Andrew Garfield with a microphone in Tick Tick Boom

Having composed the music for the Broadway production, the legendary Stephen Schwartz is returning to compose the score for Wicked’s film adaptation. That means that all the iconic music from the theatrical version will make it into the movie version intact. And since the two-part movie adaptation is stretching out the story, there will likely be some original compositions in there, too.

Ian Malcolm giving a testimony in Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom

The Two-Part Split and Deeper Character Development

Like Dune, Rebel Moon, and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Wicked is being split into two parts and released as two separate films. The 2024 release will just be the first part. On Broadway, the stage version of Wicked runs for about two hours and 45 minutes with a 15-minute intermission, so it arguably could’ve been squeezed into one movie. But splitting it into two parts will allow the film adaptation to flesh out the cast and deepen their character development even more.