Wicked: Michelle Yeoh Reveals What Convinced Her to Join Musical Movie

The long-awaited Wicked film wrapped production this month, and the first part is heading to theaters later this year. Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights) directed the film, which will see Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba. The movie is also set to star Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Ethan Slater as Boq, Bowen Yang as Pfannee, Marissa Bode as Nessarose, Keala Settle as Miss Coddle, Bronwyn James as ShenShen, Aaron Teoh as Avaric, Colin Michael Carmichael as Professor Nikidik, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard. Yeoh previously worked with Chu on Crazy Rich Asians and recently appeared on The Tonight Show where she talked about joining the musical. 

"I did Crazy Rich Asians with him. He is brilliant. He really is truly brilliant. So I'm like, 'For you? Yeah! Send me the script!'" Yeoh shared. "I read the script, I call him up. I'm like, 'Jon, you realize she sings, right?'"

When The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon said he didn't know Yeoh could sing, she replied, "Neither did I!" 

"'Hi Michelle, I just have two people here who really want to talk to you and tell you why you should be here,'" Yeoh recalled Chu saying. "And it was Ariana and Cynthia. They're like, 'It's imperative that you come and join us.' 'Imperative' was the royal word."

"Cynthia and Ariana are angels," Yeoh added. "When you walk on and hear them sing, it's like you've gone to heaven."

When Is Wicked Being Released?

Wicked will be split into a two-part movie saga, the first of which will arrive in December of 2024, and the second of which will arrive in December of 2025. Previously, Chu explained why movie would be released in two parts. 

"Here's what happened: 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," Chu wrote in a statement. "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."

Are you excited about the Wicked movie? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!