Wicked release updates and everything we know so far

Fans of musical theatre have been desperate for a film adaptation of Wicked ever since it made a splash on stage, and the time has finally come for the musical to come to the screen.

It’s only fitting that Wicked would finally become a movie during the recent renaissance of movie musicals, given the spectacular pro-shots of stage productions like Hamilton, movie versions of favorites like West Side Story and In The Heights, and original movie musicals like La La Land and The Greatest Showman.

Although the progress on the film has been slow, ever since Jon M. Chu was brought in to direct the adaptation, updates have been coming much more frequently, with the notable announcement that Wicked would actually be released in two parts. Read on for all the latest updates on Wicked Part 1, as well as the little information we have about Part 2.

The history of the Wicked movie

Wicked opened on Broadway in October 2003, starring Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth. The show was extremely popular, as well as being critically successful, winning three Tony Awards, a Grammy, and seven Drama Desk Awards.

Within just a year, there were rumors of a film adaptation, but the details seemed to continually shift, with a team including J. J. Abrams and Ryan Murphy reportedly on the project in 2010, Stephen Daldry reportedly directing the film in 2012, and a release date of December 2019 set in 2016.

However, despite the announcements, fans were repeatedly left waiting, as the 2019 release date was given to Cats, and the new 2023 release date was given to Sing 2. Understandably, fans lost hope that the musical adaptation would ever materialize.

While there have been delays since Jon M. Chu was announced as the new director, those have been cushioned by a steady stream of positive signs, including the casting of major roles, information about the music and plot, and even production photos and updates. With Wicked becoming the fourth longest-running show on Broadway in 2023, it finally seems like the film adaptation is truly on the horizon.

Wicked release dates

Although the Wicked movies were originally intended to debut on Christmas 2024 and 2025, they have recently been moved up to avoid conflicts and give the adaptation its best chance.

• Wicked Part 1 will be released on November 27, 2024
• Wicked Part 2 will be released on November 26, 2025

Wicked cast

Including the ensemble, there are currently 42 performers in the Broadway production of Wicked, which gives us an idea of how many cast members the movie may contain.

Per IMDb, the following actors are currently cast in Wicked Part 1:

• Ariana Grande as Glinda
• Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba
• Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible
• Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard
• Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero
• Ethan Slater as Boq
• Marissa Bode as Nessarose
• Keala Settle as Miss Coddle
• Adam James as Glinda’s Father
• Bowen Yang as Pfannee
• Bronwyn James as ShenShen
• Colin Michael Carmichael as Nikidik
• Aaron Teoh Guan Ti as Avaric

In addition to the roles that have currently been announced, Bowen Yang told Broadway World that the role of Doctor Dillamond will be in the film, with a likely gender swap for the beloved character.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 26: Ariana Grande arrives at the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on January 26, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)

LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 01: Cynthia Erivo arrives at the global premiere of “Luther: The Fallen Sun” at BFI IMAX Waterloo on March 01, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)

CANNES, FRANCE – MAY 21: Michelle Yeoh attends the “Firebrand (Le Jeu De La Reine)” red carpet during the 76th annual Cannes film festival at Palais des Festivals on May 21, 2023 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Lionel Hahn/Getty Images)

UNIVERSAL CITY, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 11: Jeff Goldblum attends Charlize Theron’s Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP) Block Party at Universal Studios Backlot on June 11, 2022 in Universal City, California. (Photo by Roger Kisby/Getty Images For CTAOP )

MILAN, ITALY – JUNE 20: Jonathan Bailey is seen on the front row at the Giorgio Armani fashion show during the Milan Fashion Week S/S 2023 on June 20, 2022 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Jacopo Raule/Getty Images)

While there will undoubtedly be more actors cast in minor roles and the ensemble, there is little information currently available about who will be involved. However, Stephen Schwartz has shared that the ensemble vocals have been recorded, using only three male and three female singers, all of whom have performed in the musical version.

Will the original Wicked cast make cameos?

Many fans want to know if veterans from the Original Broadway Cast will be part of the movie. While nothing has been announced, Kristen Chenoweth has shown her desire to be a part of the film on her Twitter and TikTok accounts.

While Idina Menzel is busy with her upcoming album “Drama Queen” and (possibly) the confirmed Frozen 3, she has discussed the Wicked adaptation adaptation in a predictably evasive manner, sharing, “I don’t know! And if I did know, I probably couldn’t tell you. But I don’t know.”

Wicked Part 2 cast predictions

While nothing has been confirmed about Part 2 at this time, it’s obvious that Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo will be a part of it. Going by the musical’s cast, fans can assume that Jonathan Bailey (Fiyero), Jeff Goldblum (The Wizard), Michelle Yeoh (Madame Morrible), Marissa Bode (Nessarose), and Ethan Slater (Boq) will also be in the sequel.

One character that is certain to appear in Part 2 is Dorothy Gale herself, who has not been cast at this time.

Wicked plot predictions

The plot of Wicked can be broadly summarized as the origin story of The Wizard of Oz‘s iconic characters, Glinda the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West. Looking a little deeper, it explores the complicated friendship between the two women and how they fit into the traditional narrative. However, the exact plot of the cinematic adaptation has not been announced.

In April 2022, it was announced that the Wicked movie would be released in two parts, similar to major fandom blockbusters like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn. Along with the desire to do justice to the two-and-a-half-hour musical, star Cynthia Erivo explained that there will be more content than what fans have traditionally seen:

"I think what we’re trying to do is marry what’s already been seen on stage with what that’s based on, which is the book by Gregory Maguire. Hopefully, it’ll be a beautiful, happy medium."

Erivo also told Collider that the film will focus on understanding the lives and minds of its two leading ladies, which includes introducing characters that theatre fans may never have seen. Composer Stephen Schwartz has also spoken about changes to the source material, explaining, “changes need to be ‘additive,’ to use (producer) Marc Platt’s term. They need to add something to the story or the characters.”

Given this information, it is possible to make predictions about what the plot will be for both films.

Wicked Part 1 will likely begin earlier than the musical does, borrowing from the book to explore the respective childhoods of Elphaba and Galinda. This will provide a foundation for the main setting of the first film: Shiz boarding school. Along with learning about politics and magic, the girls will develop a deep sisterhood.

The finale of the first film will almost certainly be the show-stopping number “Defying Gravity,” which comes when Elphaba realizes she cannot help the world by working alongside the corrupt Wizard. She offers Glinda the chance to go with her, but their differences in ideology and goals will tear the two witches apart.

Wicked Part 2 will then explore the women apart, as Glinda becomes defined as ‘good’ and Elphaba as ‘evil’ and ‘wicked.’ Both the book and musical explore the political chaos in Oz, which will likely be the predominant theme in the second film, along with Elphaba and Glinda struggling with their relationship with each other and Fiyero.

Given that Cynthia Erivo and Jon M. Chu revealed that “For Good” is currently the code name for Part 2, fans can expect that the drama will culminate in the duo’s reconciliation, though whether Elphaba will be presumed dead, as in the novel, or revealed to be alive, as in the musical, is anybody’s guess.

The screenplay for the film is currently being adapted and written by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman, who were responsible for the musical’s lyrics and book, respectively.

Wicked music

Based on Jon M. Cho’s comments when announcing that the Wicked film will take place over two films, it is entirely possible that the adaptation will include all 20 of the musical’s numbers. In addition, there will be extended versions of some songs as well as entirely new music.

When the film was announced in 2016, Stephen Schwartz shared, “I can tell you that at least as of now there will be probably four new songs in the movie,” including one song which had been cut from the musical during production.

Although this information may not still be accurate, Schwartz updated fans in the fall of 2022, “There are two new songs in the second movie that are complete songs in themselves, and then there are new sections in some of the existing songs in both movies.”

Wicked trailer

While there isn’t an official trailer out yet, a teaser video for Wicked: Part 1 aired at the 2023 Las Vegas Cinema Con. The footage included snippets of the iconic songs “Popular” and “Defying Gravity,” as well as glimpses into the world of Oz.

This teaser is not available online, but Variety gave readers a taste of what they saw, explaining:

"The never-before-seen clip begins as Michelle Yeoh’s Madame Morrible works with the green-skinned Elphaba to help her control her gift. “Once you learn to harness your emotions, the sky is the limit,” Morrible tells her student.The featurette gives a sense of the sweeping, brightly lit set and includes scenes of Elphaba roaming the halls of Shiz University before meeting Glinda, who presents her new roommate with that iconic pointy black hat. (It’s really, uh, sharp. Don’t you think?) Later in the trailer, Jeff Goldblum makes an appearance as the wonderful Wizard of Oz, the blonde-haired Glinda transports by bubble and Elphaba sports her signature broomstick.But it’s the moments of sisterhood that stand out; “Wicked” reveals the backstory of the friends-turned-enemies known as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch.“Pink goes good with green,” Glinda tells Elphaba as she puts a flower behind her ear. “Look at you, you’re beautiful.” Elphaba tells her, “You really don’t have to do that,” to which Glinda famously responds, “I know. That’s what makes me so nice.”"

As more information becomes available about the Wicked movies, stay tuned to Hidden Remote for all the latest updates.