After more than a decade of trying, the Wicked movie is really happening. Back in November 2021, director Jon M. Chu (who directed Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights) announced that the film would cast Ariana Grande as Glinda the Good Witch and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba the Wicked Witch of the West, will star . On December 8, the film added another superstar to the cast: Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible. Yeoh officials did not immediately respond to POPSUGAR’s request for comment, however diversity first reported the news. Yeoh is currently causing a lot of Oscar buzz for her starring role in Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) and most recently in Netflix’s The School of Good and Evil.
News of Yeoh’s casting came just a day after it was announced that Ethan Slater, who played the title role in SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical, will also star as Boq for Munchkin in the films. Slater was nominated by Tony for his performance.
We also learned back in September that Bridgerton heartthrob and Olivier Award winner Jonathan Bailey will star in the films as the story’s main love interest, Fiyero. Chu confirmed Bailey’s casting on September 21 on Twitter. “He’s perfect, they’re perfect. They would be perfect together. Born to be forever,” Chu wrote. “I’m too excited to pretend that didn’t happen. We have a Fiyero!!!! #JonathanBailey #Wicked.”
He is perfect, they are perfect. They would be a perfect match. Born to be forever….. I’m too excited to pretend that didn’t happen. We have a Fiyero!!!! #JonathanBailey #Evil https://t.co/meT51cGqDe
— Jon M. Chu (@jonmchu) September 21, 2022
While we’re still awaiting announcements on some of the key members of the cast, Chu confirmed on Instagram on Dec. 7 that filming on the project had begun. On October 11, during pre-production, Ariana Grande shared some Instagram photos from Wicked rehearsals. In the first photo of the carousel, the star posed next to Erivo in a dance studio, and in another, she smiled next to choreographer Will Loftis and showed the “Wicked” cast preparing for the film’s epic musical numbers.
The cast and crew have been keeping fans updated with exciting announcements since the film was first confirmed. In an April Twitter Post, Chu revealed that they will actually be splitting the musical into two films. He wrote in part, “Here’s what happened: As we prepared this production for the past year, it became increasingly clear that it would be impossible to fit the story of ‘Wicked’ into a single film without really doing damage to it We tried shortening songs or trimming characters, those decisions felt like fatal compromises to the source material that has entertained all of us for so many years.
He continued, “So we decided to give ourselves a bigger canvas and not just make one ‘Wicked’ movie, but TWO!!! adding even more depth and surprise to the journeys of these beloved characters.”
Chu added, “Cynthia, Ariana and I – and the entire cast and crew – pledge to create nothing less than an experience that honors its foundation for all fans that have been waiting for this film and an exciting, fantastical world full of.” to offer dynamic characters that invite strangers in.” The director also wrote that the first film would be released in Christmas 2024 and the second would be in theaters in Christmas 2025.
Here’s everything we know so far about the Wicked movies, including the cast, release date, trailer, music and more.
