I’m not typically the one to immediately share this open secret about myself, but in high school, I was a bit of a theater kid. So, of course, when I heard that there would be a film adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked (one of my favorite productions) starring legends Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, high school theater Siobhan was revived. Since the movie’s trailer was revealed on Feb. 11, all that has been on everyone’s mind (primarily mine) is what to expect ahead of the film’s release, such as the cast, filming locations, and, of course, the actual release date!
If you aren’t as big of a Broadway lover as I was and are unfamiliar with the plot of Wicked, let me bring you up to speed. Many Gen Zers grew up knowing about or watching The Wizard of Oz, an iconic 1939 film. In the story, Dorothy is magically transported to the Land of Oz, where she encounters an interesting cast of characters who guide her to get back to her home in Kansas. Wicked takes a completely different approach and rather explores the story of two characters who received little backstory in The Wizard of Oz: Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) and Glinda the Good .
The Broadway musical focuses on Elphaba’s transformation into the Wicked Witch of the West and how Glinda became her counterpart. The musical is based on author Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel of the same name, which focuses on Elphaba and Glinda’s friendship as they discover their own individuality outside of the judgments of others.
Based on the upcoming film’s trailer, it appears like this new adaptation will stick to its roots.
The trailer showcases the stunning imaginary realm of Oz through a series of brief snippets. It also shows Elphaba, played by Erivo, uncovering her abilities and embracing her new identity, alongside Glinda, played by Grande. So, now that the trailer is out, I’d like to know what it has in store for us theater lovers!
Wicked will be a two-parter, with the first release scheduled for November 2024.
While Wicked is scheduled to be released later this year, it’s not the only installment hitting theaters. Wicked director Jon M. Chu stated in April 2022 that the film would be divided into two parts, with the first scheduled for 2024 and the second for 2025. In a 2023 interview with Collider, lyricist and composer for Wicked, Stephen Schwartz, stated the direction behind this change, saying,”We ultimately decided to do two movies because we couldn’t get it all crammed into one movie without, we felt, really compromising the story.”
We now know from the preview that the first installment will be released in theaters on Nov. 27 and the second installment will be released around the same time in 2025. I’m not sure about you, but I know what I’ll be doing around the Thanksgiving holiday for the next two years.
Who stars in Wicked?
Aside from the renowned Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, who play the major roles of Elphaba and Glinda, respectively, the entire Wicked cast is star-studded.
The cast also includes Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Johnathan Bailey (who will play Prince Fiyero), and Bowen Yang. I also couldn’t leave out Ethan Slater, who plays Boq, a munchkin who ultimately becomes the Tinman who accompanies Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. Slater has received a lot of attention over the last year after it was announced that he and his Wicked co-star Grande were reportedly dating. I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled to see if Grande and Slater walk the red carpet together as we get closer to Wicked’s premiere.
The new trailer has me so excited to see this movie and until that time is finally here, I’ll be listening to the Wicked soundtrack on repeat.