Wicked Director Jon M. Chu Adapting One of Dr. Seuss’ Best Books as a Movie

Jon M. Chu, whose latest film Wicked, has been nominated for 10 Academy Awards, is gearing up to adapt Dr. Seuss’ final book for the silver screen. Warner Bros. Pictures Animation is developing Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, a film that will be co-directed by Chu and Jil Culton (Open Season, Abominable) and is set for theatrical release in March of 2028. The book will be the basis for an animated musical that travels the world and follows a young explorer experiencing life’s highs and lows, heartbreaks and joys. Peter Rabbit’s Rob Lieber is adapting the screenplay, with songs by EGOT winners Benj Paske and Justin Paul. J.J. Abrams is producing alongside Gregg Taylor for Bad Robot.

The upcoming feature marks the fifth original Dr. Seuss screen adaptation, with the first being Jim Carrey’s yuletide classic How The Grinch Who Stole Christmas (2000), Mike Myers’ The Cat in the Hat (2003), Jim Carrey’s Horton Hears a Who! (2008), and Zac Efron, Danny DeVito-starrer The Lorax (2012). The Grinch was rebooted in 2018 featuring the voice talents of Benedict Cumberbatch, while Warner Bros. Pictures Animation is currently planning the 2026 release of animated films based on the Dr. Seuss books Thing One and Thing Two, as well as The Cat in the Hat, in which Bill Hader voice the titular feline.

Chu comes fresh off the heels of Wicked’s success having recently become the highest-grossing film adaptation of a Broadway musical worldwide, after surpassing $634 million in global sales. The film was nominated for 10 Oscars, including Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba) and Ariana Grande (Glinda) for Actress in a Leading Role and Best Actress in a Supporting Role, respectively. Other nods include Best Picture, Best Production Design, and Best Hair & Makeup (obviously), while Chu himself didn’t get a nomination, much to the cast’s disappointment.

[Related: Wicked Review: One of 2024’s Most Entertaining Blockbusters]

Speaking to Variety, Erivo questioned her director’s snub, reminding fans of his personal involvement throughout the two-part production and his attention to detail. “I don’t know. I wish people understood just how much work has to go into creating a big, giant behemoth like Wicked,” Erivo told the trade.

“None of that can happen without his vision. It just isn’t possible. He is the one who can see who is right for this, who cast us in these roles, who asked for nine million tulips, who says he wants to build a real set so it feels embedded in reality. It’s him! He says he wants the camera right in Elphaba’s face when she walks down the steps in the Ozdust Ballroom. There is a kind of vision that you have to have, in order to be in control of something that could run away from you very quickly if you don’t know what to do.”

The Wicked lead concluded, “I think he is an exquisite director. The people that he put in charge of every department! That also takes skill.” But it’s not the first time Chu’s directional efforts have been overlooked. The recent snub serves as a bitter reminder that Chu’s direction of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway Musical In the Heights was also ignored by the Academy in 2022 (but did land 13 Tony nominations and four wins).

Going forward, it seems fitting that the irrepressible Chu should helm the upcoming Seuss story: both character and director will journey through the joys and heartaches of life – oh, the places they’ll go!