After being in development for the better part of two decades, a movie adaptation of Wicked is finally on the horizon. The film, which will adapt the events of Gregory Maguire’s novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande as Elphaba and Galinda, who audiences eventually know as the witches of The Wizard of Oz. The Wicked musical, which first debuted on Broadway in 2003, has become a beloved part of musical theater, ultimately grossing over $1 billion in total Broadway revenue in 2016. Many have wondered if the original stars of its Broadway production, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, would somehow play a role in the movie adaptation — and it looks like we might finally have our answer.
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A new promo for the Wicked movie features glimpses of new footage, including behind-the-scenes looks at the cast and crew on set. In a group scene where Elphaba and Galinda are surrounded by the Citizens of Oz, one extra in a tall blonde wig could very well be Chenoweth. This has led fans to speculate that Chenoweth, who originated the role of Galinda, might appear in the film as the mother of Grande’s Galinda. The actress previously played coy about the possibility of cameoing in the movie, telling ET “we’ll see.”
What Is Wicked About?
Wicked is a prequel to the iconic events of The Wizard of Oz, and tells the story of two unlikely friends, Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) and Galinda (whose name later changes to Glinda the Good Witch), who struggle through opposing personalities and viewpoints, rivalry over the same love-interest, reactions to the Wizard’s corrupt government, and, ultimately, Elphaba’s public fall from grace. The cast will include Ariana Grande as Galinda, Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Ethan Slater as Boq, Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard, Peter Dinklage as Dr. Dillamond, Bowen Yang and Bronwyn James as Pfannee and ShenShen, Marissa Bode as Elphaba’s sister Nessarose, Keala Settle as Miss Coddle, Aaron Teoh as Avaric and Colin Michael Carmichael as Professor Nikidik.
“This was a wildly large production with so many brilliant human beings who worked so, so hard in every department,” Grande wrote on social media when production on the film wrapped. “Every single person that worked on these films was not only the absolute best at what they do but made every single day for over a year feel so incredibly safe … kind and thoughtful and inspired every day as if it were always the first… How something so much bigger than all of us could feel so intimate and small and warm is beyond me but it starts from the top. You made it so [Jon M. Chu]. I have so many stories that I can’t wait to share but for now, my heart sincerely, physically aches that I will not be sharing ever yday with this crew anymore. Thank you for your brilliance and the many hand \holds and hugs along the way.”
Wicked will now be released exclusively in theaters on November 22nd.
