Wicked

After years in development hell, the film adaptation of the hit musical Wicked is finally underway, so I figured I would make a thread about it. The two leads have been cast, Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda. It will be filmed at the recently built Sky Studios at Elstree in England. Rehearsals begin in August with principal photography starting in November.

In a surprise move, the film will be split into two parts. The first will be released in 2024 and the other in 2025, both on Christmas Day.

Edited by DS9guy on Aug 4th 2022 at 11:47:02 AM

I remember thinking that the other Wizard of Oz movie with the wizard was meant to be a movie based off Wicked

The musical theater fandom seems to be pretty negative towards the decision to split the film.

And, as a long time fan of Wicked (6 times as of March), I'm in agreement. When I saw it this year, I watched it with the movie split in mind and it doesn't really make much sense to me. Act 1 doesn't tell a full and complete story beginning to end. It really is Act 1 of the story.

I sympathize that the musical does have a massive story to tell within a 2 hour~ give or take 30 mins run time, but that doesn't mean making it four hours and 30 mins will fix the problem? Particularly since we're now stretching those musical numbers out over a much longer period of time. Which either means *a lot* less singing and dancing in this movie musical or we're gonna have a lot of additional filler songs to pad out the run time.

I even acknowledge that the musical itself isn't the greatest pacing wise; Act 1 is pretty drawn out while Act 2 rushes to the ending.

It also means twice the flop if Part 1 isn't well-received; You need to hook your audience to make them return for the sequel. Part 1 will probably do well at the box-office at least, but if the audiences aren't happy, why would they come back? Take Cats for an example; disaster movie. Think about how bad it would be if we were waiting for the second-shoe to drop for a sequel a year later.

As far as general story criticism, I think it also kinda hits a problem I see of a lot of modern tragedy stories; What *exactly* is Elphaba's flaw? What's her tragic mistake? What makes her genuinely incapable of accomplishing her goal?

Watching the musical and knowing it by heart; she doesn't really have a flaw. She takes decisive action and uses her strong moral code and it pisses people off, but that's not exactly a flaw. That's being an active protagonist. She hit's a lot of *kinda, but not really* flaws. Like she's *too* morally right or *too* radical in her fight for... what was it? Oh, civil rights. How dare she be *that* uppity about... actual genocide?

It has Diabolus ex Machina to it that I think we kinda accept because, well, it's Oz and we know where the story is going from the start; Everyone does have to betray her or get killed off to satisfy where we know it ends. But I don't know if Elphaba's character ever comes close to justifying the events that occur to her?

Well, there will need to be at least one new song per film for Oscar Bait reasons; it's practically a law that any Broadway film adaptation has to have something that can qualify for Best Original Song.

Beyond that, I expect they can mine the book for more plot points. Obviously, this is an adaptation of the Lighter and Softer musical, so any Adaptation Expansion has to keep the tone shift intact. (Also, I haven't gotten around to reading the book yet, in case I say something stupid here.) But I'd like to see more scenes with secondary characters like Boq and Nessa in the first half. In the second, perhaps some scenes of the actual work Elphaba does for Animal rights—she helps with something of an Animal Underground Railroad in the book, yes? Show, Don't Tell: contrast what she's actually doing with the Unreliable Narration in "Thank Goodness" and "March of the Witch Hunters." What are the "calumny and lies" she's telling about the Wizard, anyway?

I really don't think there's that much they really could mine from the book. What are they gonna pull? Elphaba bashing in Morrible's corpse? Fyero having a wife that lives a Kimako? The infamous Philosophy Club scene???

Nessa/Boq are probably the only characters I could see them expanding since their conflict is a *tad* under-developed, but I also don't think that could extend out an extra hour or more. You could probably fix that out in about a single scene to explore Nessa's start of darkness.

Same with Elphaba's civil rights work. All you really need is a scene between "Thank Goodness" and going to Nessa's side; whatever prompt's her to finally turn to her sister. Probably some "I was helping Animals and then the Wizard's guard showed up and everyone had to flee and it's the 7th raid this tick of the Time Dragon" or something.

I would personally like Glinda to be explored with some more depth. More... I do think there's a degree to which she gets away with some really shallow actions through out the show and I would like to see some evidence she could commit to being a good leader beyond the ending besides "Well, I like the character and she has snarky one-lines so I guess she's fit".

I guess the reason I worry about expanding Act 2 is that we'd need characters. Act 2's predicament kinda relies on characters not being in the same room together and, when they are, they're basically pointing guns at each other. I don't know how you could expand it except to give them more time on their own where they're doing... Something??? With new characters??? New characters who go where in the plot?

In more positively-received news, Jonathan Bailey will be playing Fiyero. He can sing, he can swoon, he is handsome, I want nothing more from a Fiyero adaptation.

Edited by Synchronicity on Sep 24th 2022 at 2:00:37 PM

What's especially hilarious is that his best-known role, G'raha Tia, is basically Fiyero's exact opposite XD

I do know some are disappointed with the casting news as Fyiero in the books is actually BIPOC and they'd been hoping for the new casting to get away from "white, blonde, pretty boy" romantic lead.

Jeff Goldblum is reportedly in final negotiations to play the Wizard.

This seems like really last-minute casting given principal photography is set to start next month. But it’s something of a Small Role, Big Impact.

Edited by HeraldAlberich on Oct 28th 2022 at 1:13:08 PM

Michelle Yeoh is playing Madame Morrible, per Variety.

Goldblum still not finalized, apparently.

I think they just made Goldblum official. While Patrick Page would have been my personal choice, I think Goldblum could do a good Joel Grey style used-car salesman schmuck of a wizard, if his Thor: Ragnarok character is any indication.

As for Nessa, as she is the only other notable supporting player we don't have a casting for, I think really the most obvious and probably best choice is Ali Stroker. Like she's right there in all her Tony winning, wheelchair spinning glory. If Ethan Slater can land Boq, than it's completely feasible for Stroker to land Nessarose.

EDIT: I guess all the big name buzz drowned this out: https://variety.com/2022/film/news/wicked-movie-marissa-bode-nessarose-bowen-yang-keala-settle-1235455970/

Seriously? Ali Stroker was RIGHT TH-wait...ok nevermind. I take back. Bode also uses a wheelchair. Koodos for that bit of casting. I was really worried that they were going to just pick an abled actor for Nessa, so this is a relief.

Edited by Sisi on Dec 11th 2022 at 11:17:33 AM

Additionally Bode is African-American, so that means Erivo as Elphaba is also black (and not the aracial Guardians of the Galaxy style "put an actor of color in body paint")

These characters are barely in the musical so they might be given more novel-adjacent things to do?

Edited by Synchronicity on Dec 11th 2022 at 3:19:26 AM

that might be cool....just not the Philosophy Club scene. Ugh.

Wouldn't Anthony in Bridgerton be his best known role? I mean if anything proves his heterosexual heartthrob capabilities it would be that

Edited by Sisi on Dec 11th 2022 at 5:48:18 AM

Someone took pictures of a backlot set being built for the film.

Sorry for the double post. First official pictures of the movie.

People are saying "Oh, it's going to be one of those movies where it will be too dark to see anything!" based on these pictures. I think there is just a dark mood in these selected scenes.

Chu’s past filmography is pretty vibrant so I *hope* the film won’t be brown murky CGI dreck, but… if I were him I’d toss out a colorful teaser next. Even if it’s supposed to be dramatic I am pretty sure you should still be able to see what Glinda is standing on.

I also think these are pictures that just happen to be dark. I *think* these are from when Elphaba and Glinda are in the tower mid-way through Defying Gravity. Which is a darkly lit scene even in the stage show.

I also would like to note that even there are in fact colors in those shots so I have a feeling the rest of the film will be vibrant, just these scenes will use darker shades and more muted tones to convey the seriousness.

The set pics we do have show that there's no lacking of color for Munchkinland and Shiz.

I remember seeing it in Boston (which is the place to see it) with my father, one of his employees, and her husband. I remember he had a look on his face the whole time that seemed to say "what have they done to my book?"

Of course, if there's one film that really ought to be colorful...

Edited by TwinBird on May 14th 2023 at 10:17:14 AM

I mean... which book?

If he means the OG Wizard of Oz, I mean, fair.

If he means the original Wicked: Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West... honey, that was never gonna work as a Broadway show. The philosophy club scene alone... The musical is infinitely better, even if I like the book in concept more.

No, the latter. Can't say he's much of a Broadway person, but he liked the book.

I saw Wicked when it was playing at my local theater and it blew my mind out of the water that Fiyero became the Scarecrow and Boq became the Tin-Man. But then imagine my surprise when I found out the Wicked book didn't have that.

So yeah, the musical is even better in terms of plot twists. Though come to think of it, the musical kinda glossed over the Cowardly Lion, didn't it?

Huh, if this is gonna be a two-parter, how will they handle Dorothy? Because by the second act, Elphaba's story and Dorothy's were starting to run parallel or something.

Honestly I just wonder whether she'll be 11 as in canon or 17 like the one most people know.

I think Dorothy's still supposed to be a pre-teen in the MGM movie, they just did some Dawson Casting.

I know, only they did it really, really badly. (One might even say... wicked badly.)

(...I'll see myself out. Try the veal.)

Seriously, though, they did it badly enough that I think anyone who hasn't read the books would be thrown if they cast an 11-year-old, or even (competently) made her look eleven.

Edited by TwinBird on May 15th 2023 at 1:09:56 PM

That problem occurred with Return to Oz.

TBH, the musical itself avoids having Dorothy on stage. Hers and Elphaba's stories don't start running paralel until about mid-Act 2 actually. It'd be amusing if she never shows up in the movie either.

Though, with the two movie split, I don't know. I could see them expanding her role but I worry about it because the story isn't about her.