‘Wicked’ Movies: The Cast, Release Dates & Everything Else We Know

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Image Credit: Matt Baron/Shutterstock / David Fisher/Shutterstock Wicked volition beryllium divided into 2 films. Glinda and Elphaba volition beryllium played by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Nick and Joe Jonas auditioned for the relation of Fiyero.

Everyone wants to beryllium a portion of Wicked. As Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo proceed filming, we’re starting to larn different actors who went aft large roles successful the 2 films. Nick Jonas auditioned for the relation of Fiyero, arsenic good arsenic his older brother, Joe Jonas.

Director Jon M. Chu shared brand-new photos from the Wicked acceptable connected his Instagram page successful April 2023. The 2 photos see Cynthia feeling greenish successful her Elphaba look, portion Ariana’s Glinda is seen moving up the stairs successful a pinkish shot gown. “Green & Pink. It ever starts with greenish and pink. #WickedMovie coming to you successful 2024,” helium captioned the photos.

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

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. 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 merchandise dates, the expectations are very high for these 2 films. Here’s everything you request to cognize astir the upcoming Wicked movies.

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 and Cynthia Erivo 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 three-way telephone betwixt herself, Cynthia, and Jon, followed by conscionable a telephone betwixt the ladies.

In Cynthia’s post, the British histrion held her hands implicit 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 each 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 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)

The relation of Fiyero successful the Wicked movies was a apical relation for philharmonic actors. Nick Jonas confirmed successful June 2023 that helium did audition for the relation of Fiyero. “Yes, it’s true. Joe and I some went out, and we didn’t get it. But that’s the beingness of an actor,” Nick told Variety.

He added, “I deliberation it went truly well. I was precise blessed coming retired of the room. I’m a immense instrumentality of the show, and that’s a relation I ever thought it would beryllium amusive to play. But I deliberation Jonathan [Bailey] is going to bash a large job, and I’m definite the movie is going to beryllium great.”

Nick and Joe Jonas went retired for the relation of Fiyero. (John Salangsang/Shutterstock)

Michelle Yeoh is playing Madame Morrible, the headmistress of Crage Hall astatine Shiz University. Jeff Goldblum is confirmed to beryllium playing The Wizard. Saturday Night Live star Bowen Yang is playing Pfannee, Elphaba and Glinda’s classmate astatine Shiz University. The Greatest Showman star Kaela Settle 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.

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 eventually, they go adversaries aft The Wizard casts a spell connected Elphaba which turns her into the Wicked Witch.

Cynthia 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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