‘Wicked’ Movies: Everything To Know About The Cast, Release Dates & More

The hold for the Wicked movies volition decidedly beryllium worthy it. Universal Studios has assembled an unthinkable manager and all-star formed to pb the upcoming two-part movie adaptation, based connected the Tony Award-winning Broadway show which is simply a prequel to The Wizard of Oz. A Wicked movie was announced mode backmost successful 2016, but it took until 2021 for the process to truly get going. Crazy Rich Asians and In The Heights director Jon M. Chu signed onto the task and decided to divided it up into 2 films. Ariana Grande is playing Glinda the Good Witch and Cynthia Erivo is playing Elphaba, who aboriginal becomes the Wicked Witch of the West.

Fans are truthful excited to spot the communicative of Wicked come to beingness connected the large surface this time. From the talented formed to the teases we’ve gotten from the director, the expectations are very high for these 2 films. Here’s everything you request to cognize astir the upcoming Wicked movies.

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo prima successful the ‘Wicked’ movies (Photo: Matt Baron/Shutterstock / David Fisher/Shutterstock)

Wicked Movies Release Dates

The first Wicked movie, titled Wicked: Part One, volition beryllium released connected December 25, 2024. The sequel, titled Wicked: Part Two, comes retired precisely 1 twelvemonth later, connected December 25, 2025. Jon M. Chu, 43, explained wherefore the task is being divided into 2 movies backmost successful April 2022.

“As we prepared this accumulation implicit the past year, it became progressively wide that it would beryllium intolerable to wrestle the communicative of WICKED into a azygous movie without doing immoderate existent harm to it,” Jon wrote connected Twitter. “We decided to springiness ourselves a bigger canvas and marque not conscionable 1 WICKED movie but TWO!! With much space, we tin archer the communicative of WICKED arsenic it was meant to beryllium told portion bringing adjacent much extent and astonishment to the journeys of these beloved characters.”

Special #Wicked Movie Announcement… ✌🏼🎬🧹🌸💚sent from my OzPhone: pic.twitter.com/4qPpvVD4rR

— Jon M. Chu (@jonmchu) April 26, 2022

Wicked Movies Cast & Crew

Ariana Grande, 29, and Cynthia Erivo, 35, were formed arsenic Glinda and Elphaba, respectively, connected November 4, 2021. Both actresses shared the quality of their casting connected Instagram. Ariana shared a photograph of her hands implicit her look arsenic she sat successful beforehand of an Apple MacBook aft learning the news. The popular prima besides shared screenshots of a 3 mode telephone betwixt herself, Cynthia and Jon, followed by conscionable a telephone betwixt the ladies. In Cynthia’s post, the British histrion held her hands over her rima and was successful tears arsenic she recovered retired she got the role. Ariana and Cynthia besides sent each different flowers with heartfelt notes wherever they congratulated the different connected the caller job.

Ariana is taking implicit the relation of Glinda the Good Witch which was originated by Kristen Chenoweth in the Broadway show. Cynthia is playing Elphaba, who was primitively portrayed by Idina Menzel connected Broadway. Both Kristen and Idina congratulated Ariana and Cynthia connected snagging the iconic roles.

The remainder of the formed for the Wicked movies is beauteous epic. Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey, 34, is playing Fiyero, Elphaba’s emotion interest. Jon Chu confirmed Jonathan’s casting successful September 2022. “He’s perfect, they’re perfect. They’d beryllium cleanable together. Born to beryllium forever….. I americium excessively excited to unreal this hasn’t been happening. We person a Fiyero!!!! #JonathanBailey #Wicked,” helium wrote connected Twitter. 

Jonathan Bailey is playing Fiyero successful ‘Wicked’ movies (Photo: James Veysey/Shutterstock)

Michelle Yeoh, 60, is playing Madame Morrible, the headmistress of Rage Hall astatine Shiz University. Jeff Goldblum, 70,is confirmed to beryllium playing The Wizard. Saturday Night Live star Bowen Yang, 32, is playing Pfannee, Elphaba and Glinda classmate astatine Shiz University. The Greatest Showman star Kaela Settle, 47, is playing Miss Coddle. The formed besides consists of Ethan Slater arsenic Boq, Marissa Bode arsenic Nessarose (Elphaba’s sister), Bronwyn James arsenic ShenShen, Aaron Teoh arsenic Avaric, and Colin Michael Carmichael arsenic Professor Nikdik.

Jon M. Chu is directing the Wicked movies from a screenplay written by Winnie Holzman and Stephen Schwartz. Stephen is besides doing the music, which is acceptable to see immoderate of the musical’s astir classical songs specified arsenic “Defying Gravity” and “Popular.” Marc Platt, who is Ben Platt‘s father, and David Stone are producing the films. Alice Brooks is the cinematographer, Nathan Crowley is the accumulation designer, and Paul Tazewell is the costume designer.

Michelle Yeoh is playing Madame Morrible successful ‘Wicked’ (Photo: Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)

Production Trivia

Rehearsals for Wicked: Part One began successful August 2022. Both Ariana and Cynthia gave fans immoderate behind-the-scenes glimpses into their rehearsals successful October 2022. The duo posed for a cute reflector selfie during a interruption successful the rehearsal studio. Ariana underwent a blonde hairsbreadth makeover that period to play Glinda. Jon Chu confirmed connected Dec. 9 that filming had begun 3 days earlier, successful London. Filming is supposedly taking spot astatine Sky Studios. The formed and unit are expected to shoot Wicked: Part One and Wicked: Part Two back to back.

What We Know About The Plot Of The Wicked Movies

‘Wicked’ is simply a prequel to ‘The Wizard of Oz’ (Photo: everett collection)

The Wicked films are expected to intimately travel the crippled of the Broadway show, which is really based connected Gregory Maguire‘s 1995 novel. The communicative takes spot earlier and aft Dorothy Gale arrives successful Oz from Kansas, and explores the narration betwixt Elphaba and Glinda. The brace commencement disconnected arsenic improbable friends but yet they go adversaries aft The Wizard casts a spell connected Elphaba which turns her into the Wicked Witch.

Cynthia Erivo antecedently teased however the films are going to beryllium adjacent amended than the musical. “I deliberation it’s going to beryllium dissimilar thing you’ve ever seen before,” Cynthia told Entertainment Tonight at the 2022 SAG Awards. “I deliberation we’re going to bask the magic of it. We’re going to effort and enactment our ain rotation connected what we cognize already and amusement you a communicative astir 2 women [who] are sisters,” she added.

Stephen Schwartz confirmed successful a June 2022 newsletter that determination volition beryllium caller songs successful the films. “There are 2 caller songs successful the 2nd movie that are implicit songs successful themselves, and past determination are caller sections successful immoderate of the existing songs successful some movies. All the caller material, of course, is to conscionable the demands of the storytelling,” helium said.

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