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Tag: Wicked

  • ‘Wicked’ Adaptation Adds Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible

    ‘Wicked’ Adaptation Adds Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible

    It seems like the casting for Wicked has continued, as The Hollywood Reporter has just revealed one more addition to the cast. The adaptation by Universal Pictures has now locked in MIchelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, who is the head of Elphaba’s school. Cynthia Erivo is set to take on the role of Elphaba with Arana Grande already ast as Glinda. Jeff Goldblum is also part of the cast as thee Wizard while Jonathan Bailey has been cast as Fiyero. The cast also includes SpongeBob Squarepants: The Musical’s Ethan Slater as Boq in the John M. Chu directed film.

    The film will be split up into two projects that are set to be shot back-to-back in January. So, we might see a few more casting announcements before Christmas rolls around. The first entry is already set for a release on December 25th, 2024. The sequel would be set for the Christmas of 2025. So, we’ll still have to wait quite a bit before we get a first look or even a tease of how they’ll adapt the iconic musical reinterpretation of The Wizard of Oz.

    Yeoh has been on a hot streak with quite a few franchise projects, and even her big role in this year’s biggest Awards contender, Everything Everywhere All At Once. She’s a legend in the industry and has picked up quite a bit of steam once again with her recent projects. She’s also set to arrive in Netflix’s upcoming The Witcher spinoff Blood Origin and who knows what other project she might already have planned.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Wicked’ in Final Talks with Jeff Goldblum to Play The Wizard

    ‘Wicked’ in Final Talks with Jeff Goldblum to Play The Wizard

    In the IP renaissance, we’re seeing many iconic franchises making a grand return. As such, almost every iconic film or TV series is seemingly returning with a new design and style. Even musicals aren’t safe, as it seems that Jon M. Chu‘s upcoming two-part Wicked adaptation is still busy casting. While Fiyero has already been cast with Jonathan Bailey set to star alongside Ariana Grande as Glinda, and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, they may have also found their Wizard.

    As reported by Variety, it seems that Jeff Goldblum is currently in final talks to take on the role of the Wizard. It seems that the deal is still not fully finalized, but there’s a good chance he’ll take on the role. He would definitely be a perfect addition to the cast, as Goldblum is always a scene-stealer when given the opportunity and he’s also no stranger to music.

    Goldblum famously performed music with The Mildred Snitzer, where Haley Reinhart even joined him. Plus, who wouldn’t think of him as a fun rendition of the character with his usual charm that manages to add fun to any project he’s involved with? The two films are set to release in 2024 and 2025. So, we’ll see if he signs on and what he may bring to the role.

    Source: Variety

  • Jonathan Bailey in Talks to Join ‘Wicked’

    Jonathan Bailey in Talks to Join ‘Wicked’

    Jonathan Bailey is set to join the cast of Wicked.

    Variety reports that Bailey will join the cast of the Wicked films as Fiyero. The two films will star Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and hail from director Jon M. Chu. Stephen Schwartz who was behind the lyrics and music for the Broadway show is penning the script with Winnie Holzman.

    News that Wicked would be split into two films came in April, with Chu noting two movies allowed for the story to be told properly. “With more space, we can tell the story of ‘Wicked’ as it was meant to be told while bringing even more depth and surprise to the journeys for these beloved characters.”

    Bailey is perhaps best known for his role as Lord Anthony Bridgerton in Netflix’s Bridgerton. He has also appeared in shows like Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Broardchurch and Crashing. On the film side, Bailey has appeared in Testament of Youth, The Mercy and Best Birthday Ever.

    The movies are being produced by Marc Platt via his Universal production banner, Marc Platt Productions, and David Stone. While Universal’s senior executive vice president of production Erik Baiers and vice president of production development Lexi Barta are on board to oversee the films.

    The Wicked movies are currently slated to hit theaters on Christmas in 2024 and 2025.

    Source: Variety.

  • ‘Wicked’ Film Now Split Into Two Parts

    ‘Wicked’ Film Now Split Into Two Parts

    Here’s another film that you could possibly find under “development hell” in the dictionary, the long-awaited big-screen adaption of the hit broadway musical, Wicked. The project has been in development since 2004, never finding its footing and failing to happen. Things seem to finally be in motion with Jon M. Chu at the helm of the project. While production still ended up getting delayed, it seems some creative changes behind the project have lead to us getting a little more Wicked than we bargained for.

    Chu himself took to Twitter to announce that the Wicked film would now be split into two, rather than cram the entire musical into one. He went on to explain that it would be impossible to do the project justice by only doing one film, citing that they attempted to cut songs or reduce character arcs but it just wasn’t working out. This led to the decision to turn the adaption into a two-parter.

    Back in October, it was announced that production on Wicked would be delayed till the summer of 2022 with filming now set to take place over in the UK. Currently, the musical adaption only has two stars attached, with Ariana Grande set to play Glinda and Cynthia Erivo set to play the role of Elphaba. With production set to kick off here in a few months it seems likely we could be hearing more news on that front at any moment.

    Wicked is currently set to release in December of 2024, but no specific date has been announced just yet. It is unknown if the films will shoot back to back as of right now.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Wicked’ Movie Adds Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande

    ‘Wicked’ Movie Adds Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande

    After years of being in development, the Wicked movie has finally found its leading ladies. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande will star in Universal’s adaptation of the hit musical being directed by Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians). Erivo is playing Elphaba, while Grande is playing Glinda.

    The news was shared by the duo over social media, with the actresses sharing videos of their reactions on Instagram. Both Grande and Erivo also shared photos of flower arrangements they sent to one another expressing their excitement over working together.

    Wicked has been in development since 2004 when Universal first announced its plan to bring the hit musical to the big screen, just a year after the Broadway musical debuted. The story is based on the 1995 novel of the same name by author Gregory Maguire and is a take on Wizard of Oz. It tells the story of the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch.

    Production is set to kick off in Summer 2022 in the UK.

    Source: THR