Thank goodness, the Wicked film adaptation is finally happening!
Director Jon M. Chu is bringing the beloved musical to the big screen in a two-part adaptation of Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman’s beloved Broadway musical. The show is a prequel story to The Wizard of Oz, with the plot following the early years of the Wicked Witch of the West, named Elphaba, and Glinda the Good Witch, aka Galinda.
As it turns out, Elphaba wasn’t always so wicked, and Galinda wasn’t always so good. Before the twister brought Dorothy into their lives, the pair were unlikely roomates-turned-friends at school — but heartbreak, opportunity and circumstance ultimately pulled them apart and set them on the adversarial paths.
The adaptation stars Tony winner Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, opposite Ariana Grande as Galinda. Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey plays Fiyero, the himbo love interest who finds himself caught between the two, and recent Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh plays their reigning headmistress, Madame Morrible.
The Wicked adaptation is scheduled to be released in two parts. Wicked: Part One is scheduled for release on Nov. 27, 2024, while Wicked: Part Two will be released on Nov. 26, 2025.
Here’s everything we know so far about the upcoming films.
THE PLOT
Wicked is based on the Wicked musical, which takes its story from the 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. The plot is based on the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum and its 1939 film adaptation, but focuses on the story of the Wicked Witch of the West.
Amazon
Elphaba, born with green skin that most see as a curse, is a reserved new student at Shiz University, who is fiercely protective of her wheelchair-using sister, Nessarose. Upon moving into her dorm, she finds herself rooming with the bubbly, popular Galinda, who quickly embraces her as a friend and social project, though the pair could not be more different.
However, the new friends find themself at odds over Fiyero, a Winkie prince who ends up besotted with Elphaba, despite the fact that he and Galinda are the epitome of “class couple” and seemingly destined to be together — if Galinda gets her way. Elphaba also dreams of working alongside the magical Wizard of Oz, and works to prove her skills.
When the Wizard is proven to be a fraud who is suppressing the animals of Oz in order to grow his own power, Elphaba turns against him, and is forced to go on the run from his loyal followers who are trying to hunt her down.
Throughout a series of magical mishaps, the characters of the Wizard of Oz come into play as Elphaba tries her best to protect those she loves — though her efforts are often in vain. Ultimately, she embraces her reputation as the Wicked Witch, faking her own death and bidding a tearful farewell to her friend Galinda as she departs Oz, never to return.
THE CAST
Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba
Aaron J. Thornton/FilmMagic
The Broadway star and Tony winner plays Elphaba, a young woman born with green skin, who later becomes the Wicked Witch of the West.
Ariana Grande as Galinda/Glinda, the Good Witch
Vogue
Grande is perfectly cast as Galinda, the bubbly, popular, people-pleasing counterpart to Elphaba, who is revealed to have much more depth that she initially shows on the surface.
Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero
Dave Benett/Getty Images for LOEWE
Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey laces up his dancing shoes to play Fiyero, the carefree Winkie prince who finds himself in a love triangle with Elphaba and Galinda. Through Elphaba’s efforts to protect him, he ultimately becomes the Scarecrow that befriends Dorothy.
Jeff Goldblum as the Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Terence Patrick/CBS via Getty Images
Goldblum plays the Wizard, who is revealed to be not quite as “wonderful” as advertised, prompting Elphaba to go rogue in an attempt to save the animals of Oz.
Ethan Slater as Boq
Bruce Glikas/WireImage
Grande’s real-life beau plays the besotted Boq, a fellow Shiz student who pines after Galinda. When Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose, miscasts a spell to try and make him fall in love with her instead, Elphaba’s solution is to turn him into a creature that doesn’t need a heart to live — leading to his ultimate fate as the Tin Man.
Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible
Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh plays Madame Morrible, the headmistress of Shiz University, who initially sees promise in Elphaba. However, when the citizens of Oz turns against the “wicked” witch, Morrible helps lead the charge to try and tear her down.
Marissa Bode as Nessarose
Hollywood newcomer Marissa Bode makes her feature film debut in Wicked as Nessarose, Elphaba’s wheelchair-using younger sister. After her ill-fated attempt to make Boq fall in love with her ends with him becoming the Tin Man, Nessa turns cold, blaming her sister for her broken heart and ultimately becoming the Wicked Witch of the East.
Bowen Yang and Bronwyn James as Pfannee and ShenShen
Yang and James play Pfannee and ShenShen, college friends of Galinda’s. The characters were created for the movie and do not appear in the stage show, so not much is known about them yet.
The Wicked films also star The Greatest Showman star Keala Settle, Aaron Teoh, Colin Michael Carmichael, Adam James and more.
THE FIRST LOOKS
Beyond some stunning on-set pics, little has been seen from the film so far. However the official Wicked Instagram account shared two photos — one each of Erivo and Grande’s character — from a distance, giving just a small glimpse of the magic to come.
THE SONGS
The film is set to include plenty of songs from the Tony-winning musical, which Erivo told ET were some of her favorite parts of filming.
“I want to say ‘For Good’ is one of the most… like it’s really special to us,” she shared. “It just — it was a really special day. We filmed it over a week [and] we felt like it was a lot for the both of us, in our hearts, you know?”
“And I’m really, really excited for ‘The Wizard and I’ ’cause, like, it’s a full epic moment,” the actress added. “There’s so much in there that feels good… There are all really special moments within this movie and even the numbers without songs are really special as well.”
THE RELEASE
The Wicked adaptation is scheduled to be released in two parts. Wicked: Part One is scheduled for release on Nov. 27, 2024, while Wicked: Part Two will be released on Nov. 26, 2025.
RELATED CONTENT: