Hang Onto Your Witch Hats Because A 'Wicked' Movie Is Happening
There’s a Wicked movie heading to the big screen *cue all of the screaming*
Hold onto your broomsticks Wicked fans, because there’s some very, very good news coming your way. Glinda and Elphaba are heading to the big screen with a film adaptation of the iconic Broadway show. Not trying to get too ahead of myself here, but I have a feeling that it’s going to be very, very pop-u-lar (lar).
Here’s the whole delightfully green deal. Universal Pictures announced that the Wicked film will be released on December 22, 2021, which, I know, sounds like forever but I guess we’ll just all have to look to the Western sky for the next two years. And, listen to the soundtrack on loop. And demand that every karaoke night features us singing “What Is This Feeling.” It’s gonna be a fun two years.
A quick recap for anyone who hasn’t experienced the pure ~magic~ and whimsy that is Wicked. It’s a re-imagining of The Wizard of Oz, featuring two witches from the Land of Oz – Glinda and Elphaba – and the unlikely friendship that develops between them. It will also give you a very new outlook on The Wicked Witch of the West.
No word yet on casting but we do know that Stephen Daldry (The Hours, Billy Elliot) will direct the film and Oscar-winning Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz is also on-board. And don’t worry Glee fans, Lea Michele is definitely on the table according to a very old interview with Schwartz.
“Lea Michele is fantastic,” Schwartz told Broadway.com in 2010, “and it’d be silly to say she wouldn’t be under consideration [for the role of Elphaba].”
Obviously, I get that the filmmakers might want to hire new talent for the film but I’m just going to go ahead and pitch my favorite gals anyway:
Also, fair warning for Wicked diehards. Schwartz noted in a 2017 interview with Variety that the film version won’t be an exact replica of the Broadway show.
“There are things that work on stage but won’t work on film,” he said. “In order to do something that will work on its own merits, you have to do something different. The only concern is people who would be coming expecting to see a filmed version of the play. They’re not going to see that.”
It pretty much seems like the filmmakers can do whatever creatives new things they want with Wicked as long as they bring it to the big screen. People were freaking out on Twitter. Like, hardcore freaking out.
And, yes, everyone was trying to get in touch with Lea Michele.
Alright, so I guess we need to all mark our calendars for two years from now and in the meantime just try to keep DANCING THROUGH LIFE.
