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Wicked (film franchise)
American film franchise based on the musical From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Wicked is an American media franchise started by the two-part musical fantasy film series directed by Jon M. Chu and written by Winnie Holzman[a] and Dana Fox,[1] based on the 2003 stage musical by Stephen Schwartz and Holzman, which was loosely based on Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel, which itself is a reimagining of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its 1939 film from MGM (now owned by Warner Bros. Pictures along with the rest of MGM’s pre-May 1986 library under Turner Entertainment Co.). The films are respectively titled Wicked (titled onscreen as Wicked: Part I) and Wicked: For Good, the latter named after the penultimate number of the musical.[2]
 | It has been suggested that this article be merged into The Wicked Years. (Discuss) Proposed since July 2025. |
Set in the Land of Oz, both before and after Dorothy Gale's arrival from Kansas, the plot follows green-skinned Elphaba and her path to ultimately becoming the Wicked Witch of the West, alongside an unlikely friendship and later rivalry with a classmate who later becomes Glinda the Good. They both then must face the consequences of their actions as their destinies change all of Oz forever.
Produced by Universal Pictures and Marc Platt, who both produced the stage musical, the films star Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande[b] as Elphaba and Glinda respectively, with Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode (who makes her feature film acting debut in the first film), Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Keala Settle, Peter Dinklage and Sharon D. Clarke in supporting roles.[4] With a combined budget of $300 million, it is one of the biggest and most ambitious film projects ever undertaken and the most expensive musical film adaptation ever made.[5] The franchise began with the first film premiering at the State Theatre in Sydney, Australia, on November 3, 2024; the second film is scheduled to be released on November 21, 2025.
The film series has so far received positive reviews from critics and audiences alike for the performances of the cast, Chu's direction, the production values and faithfulness to the source material, all while becoming a pop culture phenomenon. The first film was a major financial success, having grossed $756 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing Oz film and the highest-grossing musical film adaptation of all time. The series has also earned numerous accolades, with the first film receiving 10 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, winning Best Costume Design and Best Production Design, as well as becoming the first fantasy film in history to win Best Film at the National Board of Review. The franchise also includes two television specials, merchandise, toys, books, an online community tie-in with Roblox, and theme park attractions at the Universal Destinations & Experiences.
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Development
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In 2003, the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, a revisionist exploration of the characters and setting of L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, was adapted as the Broadway musical Wicked. The musical was produced by Universal Pictures' stage division and directed by Joe Mantello, with musical staging by Wayne Cilento. The Broadway production has inspired long-run productions in Chicago, London, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, as well as Germany and Japan. It was nominated for ten Tony Awards, winning three, and is the 4th longest-running Broadway show in history, with over 7,500 performances. The original Broadway production starred Idina Menzel as Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda.
In a 2009 interview, Maguire stated that he had sold the rights to ABC to make an independent non-musical TV adaptation of Wicked. It would not be based on Holzman's script.[6] On January 9, 2011, it was reported by Entertainment Weekly that ABC would be teaming up with Salma Hayek and her production company to create a TV miniseries of Wicked based solely on Maguire's novel. No further information, such as casting, had been revealed yet.[7]
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Chenoweth and Menzel were mentioned as possible film leads. Lea Michele and Amy Adams were also rumored to be potential leads. Potential writers included Winnie Holzman and Stephen Schwartz, while J. J. Abrams, Rob Marshall, James Mangold, and Ryan Murphy were mentioned as possible candidates for director.[8] In December 2012, following the success of Les Misérables,[9][10] Marc Platt, also a producer of the stage version, announced the film was going ahead,[11] later confirming the film was aiming for a 2016 release.[12] After a long development, Universal announced in 2016 that the film would be released in theatres on December 20, 2019, with Stephen Daldry directing.[13] By 2024, Holzman was credited as the sole writer.[14] In August 2024, it was determined by the Writers Guild of America that Dana Fox collaborated with Holzman on the screenplay and that Craig Mazin contributed additional literary material.[1]
In May 2017, Schwartz stated that the film would feature "at least two" new songs.[15] On August 31, 2018, Universal put the film on hold, due to production scheduling, and gave the film adaptation of Cats the release date formerly held by the film.[16] On February 8, 2019, Universal announced a new release date of December 22, 2021, for the Wicked film.[17] On April 1, 2020, Universal put the film on hold once again due to Universal shifting release dates amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and gave Sing 2 the 2021 release date.[18] On October 20, 2020, it was announced that Daldry had left the production due to scheduling conflicts. On February 2, 2021, it was announced that Jon M. Chu will take over as director.[19][20] In August, Alice Brooks was confirmed as the film's cinematographer, after working with Chu before on the film version of In the Heights.[21]
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The film series features an extensive cast including (left to right): Jonathan Bailey, Sharon D. Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Cynthia Erivo, Jeff Goldblum (top), Ariana Grande, Adam James, Keala Settle, Ethan Slater and Michelle Yeoh (bottom).
In November, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo were cast as Glinda and Elphaba, respectively. Grande had previously performed "The Wizard and I", a song from the musical, in the NBC special Wicked 15th Anniversary. Erivo previously had performed "I Couldn't Be Happier", an excerpt from the song "Thank Goodness," in the PBS special Wicked in Concert.[22][23][24] In June 2022, Chu confirmed the hiring of Nathan Crowley as production designer.[25] On September 21, 2022, it was reported that Jonathan Bailey had joined the cast as Fiyero. In October 2022, it was announced that Jeff Goldblum was in final talks to star as The Wizard.[26] Goldblum completed talks by December, when Ethan Slater, Michelle Yeoh, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Keala Settle, Aaron Teoh and Colin Michael Carmichael were added to the cast. In April 2024, it was revealed at the 2024 CinemaCon that Peter Dinklage had been cast as Dr. Dillamond.[27]
About preparing for the role of Elphaba, Erivo said to Variety, while expressing her desire to see the stage version on Broadway again before filming: "I'm relearning everything ... I want to go and see it again. ... When I get to New York at some point I'll pop in and see the show again, that'll be my fifth time." She also said at that time that discussions were underway on what the film will look like, particularly its production design and visual style, and confirmed the hiring of Paul Tazewell as costume designer. Her request to him for Elphaba's costume when she becomes the Wicked Witch of the West involved "a Jean Paul Gaultier collection with a 'new world, kind of gilded age' feeling".[28]
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Films
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Wicked (2024)
Principal photography was set to commence in June 2022 at the Sky Studios Elstree facilities in the United Kingdom.[29] In July 2021, Stephen Schwartz indicated there were plans to film in Atlanta that year.[30] On July 18, it was revealed that with the filming process settled at the newly built Sky Studios in Elstree, England, rehearsals would begin in August with principal photography beginning in November.[31] On December 9, Chu confirmed on Twitter that filming had begun.[32]
On September 23, Planning Statement, in support of a planning application submitted on behalf of Western Sky Limited, indicated that outdoor filming would occur at a site being developed at Ivinghoe Turf[33] in Ivinghoe, Buckinghamshire, UK. The original planned shooting dates were between April 6, 2023 and July 14, 2023, with principal photography set to wrap on July 25, 2023,[34][35] before filming was suspended from July 13, 2023 to November 8, 2023 due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.[36] Filming resumed on January 24, 2024 and concluded on January 26, with Chu then revealing that the vocals of the actors during the musical numbers were recorded live on set. Academy Award-winning production sound mixer Simon Hayes collaborated with Chu on the recordings of the actors' vocals, using a variation of the same recording techniques that were implemented on Les Misérables.[37][38][39][40] Chu also cited Steven Spielberg's 1991 film Hook as a source of inspiration for the film's use of large-scale sets and practical effects to bring the many elements of the Land of Oz to life, including nine million colorful tulips planted on location to surround the Munchkinland set, an actual Yellow Brick Road paved on the ground with real mud and a life-size art deco-inspired train to transport Elphaba and Glinda to the Emerald City.[41][42]
Wicked: For Good (2025)
On April 26, 2022, Chu announced the adaptation will be filmed in two parts, Wicked and Wicked: For Good, saying:
As we prepared the production over the last year, it became impossible to wrestle the story of 'Wicked' into a single film without doing some real damage to it ... As we tried to cut songs or trim characters, those decisions began to feel like fatal compromises to the source material that has entertained us all for so many years. We decided to give ourselves a bigger canvas and make not just one 'Wicked' movie but two! 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.
In June 2022, Stephen Schwartz confirmed that a new song would be written for one of the two films:[43]
We found it very difficult to get past 'Defying Gravity' without a break ... That song is written specifically to bring a curtain down, and whatever scene to follow it without a break just seemed hugely anti-climactic ... Even as a very long single movie, it required us cutting or omitting things that we wanted to include and that we think fans of the show and the story will appreciate. What we have discussed is that changes need to be 'additive,' to use (producer) Marc Platt's term. They need to add something to the story or the characters. They can't just be changes to do something different. I feel confident that by the time the movie is made, if we all continue to have the same degree of input, I could have a conversation with anyone who has a question about any of the changes made from the stage show and justify why I think it's better for the movie.
In November 2022, Schwartz revealed that the film will include two new songs "to meet the demands of the storytelling."[44] One of them was later revealed to have been written in collaboration with Erivo.[45][46] In December 2024, Chu revealed that the film will have a much darker tone compared to the first film, and that the character of Dorothy Gale will have a more prominent role compared to the musical's second act.[47] On June 4, 2025, IndieWire revealed that Alisha Weir would be playing the character.[48]
Possible future installments
In November 2024, Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman stated they are talking about the possibility of "something" more associated with the series, but it would not be titled Wicked Part Three or Four.[49]
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Music
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Composers Stephen Schwartz and John Powell
In July 2024, it was announced that John Powell had composed the incidental underscore for the films. Jeff Atmajian updated the late William David Brohn's original orchestrations for the songs and enlarged the orchestra from the stage version's original 23 musicians to 125 for the film.[50] The recording sessions for the music took place at AIR Studios in London,[51] with the musical's original music director Stephen Oremus conducting the song cues and Powell conducting the incidental score cues alongside Gavin Greenaway, all with the London Symphony Orchestra. Greg Wells, Oremus and Schwartz served as music producers.[52][53][54] In January 2025, production on the recording the orchestral tracks for Wicked: For Good was halted after a home studio belonging to Wells was destroyed in the Palisades Fire.[55]
Soundtracks
Television specials
Defying Gravity: The Curtain Rises on Wicked
A behind-the-scenes television special, Defying Gravity: The Curtain Rises on Wicked, aired on NBC on November 19, 2024, to promote the first film. It featured interviews with the cast and crew as well as the public release of the film's entire "What is This Feeling?" sequence, which was released onto the film's YouTube channel on November 22, 2024 to coincide with the film's release.[56]
Wicked Event Special
A musical television special, the Wicked Event Special, featuring the cast and special guests performing songs from both Wicked and Wicked: For Good live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, is scheduled to air on NBC in November 2025.[57][58]
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Outside media
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Shiz University website
On May 15, 2024, the first film launched an interactive website for Shiz University, allowing fans to apply for a 2024 semester at the college before August 15. In September 2024, influencers on various social media platforms started sharing their "acceptance letters and packages" from Shiz, containing a personalized acceptance letter from Madame Morrible herself, a map of the campus, a newspaper (reporting "Prince Fiyero spotted at Shiz"), a pin and a university jumper. Other fans who applied received their acceptance letters via email, with those applying late for the college being denied admission. The website was updated in July 2025 to reflect the plot of Wicked: For Good, with the homepage replacing the links to the college's various locations with an audio recording of Madame Morrible's propaganda speech falsely declaring Elphaba as a Wicked Witch and a ticker tape asking visitors to report any "suspicious witch activity" to Morrible and the Wizard. Dr. Dillamond's classroom page was also updated to replace the lecture of Oz's history on the chalkboard with the "Animals should be seen and not heard" writing, a reference to the character's fate in the first film.[59]
Roblox tie-in
In October 2024, Universal teamed up with online game platform Roblox to create the online community Wicked RP, where users can explore the universe of the films and dress up as the characters. The community also hosted a "Sing-Along" event, held perk giveaways and a New Year's Eve party based on the Ozdust Ballroom scene.[60][61][62]
Theme park attractions
Meet and greets
Elphaba and Glinda appear at the Universal Destinations & Experiences as meetable characters. They made their debut at Wicked: The Experience at Universal Orlando in November 2024 and are also a part of Universal Studios Hollywood's "Mega Movie Summer," which will run throughout the summer of 2025.[63][64]
Potential future attractions
In February 2025, The New York Times reported that Universal Destinations & Experiences was in early development on creating attractions based on the films for one of their theme parks, with some believing they would be added to the Universal Epic Universe park at Universal Orlando sometime after its opening in May of that year, or to the Universal Studios Great Britain park that is expected to open in 2031.[65][66]
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Principal cast and characters
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List indicators
This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in more than two films in the series.
- An empty grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
- A indicates an appearance through archival footage or audio.
- C indicates a cameo role.
- U indicates an uncredited appearance.
- V indicates a voice-only role.
- Y indicates a younger version of the character.
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Additional production and crew
Reception
Box office and financial performance
Critical and public response
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See also
Notes
- Holzman is credited twice for writing the screenplay; first as a solo writer and as part of a writing team with Dana Fox.
- Grande was credited as her legal name, "Ariana Grande-Butera".[3]
- Glinda's full identity is given as "Glinda the Good Witch of the North" in the screenplay of the first film. It is not mentioned by that title in the film's dialogue and credits.[67]
- Fiyero's Horse is named Feldspur in the screenplay of the first film. It is not mentioned by that name in the film's credits.[68]
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References
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