Wicked: Anna Kendrick Addresses Fancasts for Her and Amanda Seyfried to Star in Movie Adaptation

This year, filmmaker Jon M. Chu is supposed to finally roll cameras on Wicked, the [...]

This year, filmmaker Jon M. Chu is supposed to finally roll cameras on Wicked, the long-anticipated film adaptation of the hit musical that turned The Wizard of Oz on its ear, as well as making Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth household names. The story centers on the relationship between Elphaba, a green-skinned witch that the audience knows is destined to become the Wicked Witch of the West, and her sister Glinda the Good Witch. The story, based on Gregory Maguire's novel novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, questioned the black-and-white nature of Glinda and Elphaba representing pure good and evil as had been previously recognized in the Oz canon.

As the movie has neared production and the quesiton of casting has begun to rear its head, many fans are pitching the duo of Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect) and Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia!) as potential witches. During a recent interview, Kendrick responded by praising the play, but stopped short of lobbying for the job.

"These questions are always tricky to answer, to not create a thing," Kendrick told E! News. "I mean, obviously Wicked is a masterpiece and a classic. It's an iconic show, and that's all I'll say about that."

It's a fair assessment; while it's fine for fans to want an actor in a role, anytime that actor aggressively pursues it in public, it tends to be awkward for all involved if the filmmakers decide they want to go another way. Seyfried has already expressed an interest in appearing in the movie, but in a fairly subdued way.

Originally set for a December 2021 release and with another director, the studio recently tapped Crazy Rich Asians filmmaker Chu to tackle the project. It seems likely that another delay is in the offing, but depending on how fast Chu can get the movie into post-production that may not prove to be necessary.

Stephen Schwartz composed the addicting music and lyrics for the project, and you can check out the official description of the original novel below:

"When Dorothy triumphed over the Wicked Witch of the West in L. Frank Baum's classic tale, we heard only her side of the story. But what about her arch-nemesis, the mysterious witch? Where did she come from? How did she become so wicked? And what is the true nature of evil?

Gregory Maguire creates a fantasy world so rich and vivid that we will never look at Oz the same way again. Wicked is about a land where animals talk and strive to be treated like first-class citizens, Munchkinlanders seek the comfort of middle-class stability and the Tin Man becomes a victim of domestic violence. And then there is the little green-skinned girl named Elphaba, who will grow up to be the infamous Wicked Witch of the West, a smart, prickly and misunderstood creature who challenges all our preconceived notions about the nature of good and evil."

1comments