Film adaptations of Broadway musicals by and large do well in theaters, with a number of movie musicals winning Best Picture over the years. Following Mean Girls' strong box office performance, the next addition to the genre will be Jon M. Chu's take on Wicked. Although rather than being just on film, Universal is releasing two Wicked films, presumably allowing them to include all of Stephen Schwartz' music without making cuts. And Elphaba actress Cynthia Erivo recently shared her thoughts about why this is a good thing.
The cast list of Wicked is led by Erivo and Ariana Grande, who are playing Elphaba and Glinda respectively. The first trailer for Wicked aired during the Super Bowl, and set the internet into a frenzy. When speaking with EW about that upcoming 2024 release, she revealed why she's psyched about the dual movie release. In the Tony-Award winning actress' words:
What's wonderful about the show is that you get an insight into why this woman becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, but you have only three hours to do it in. With us, you have two movies
Points were made. Finding a way to fit an entire 3-hour musical into one movie is a difficult task, one that usually results in beloved songs being left on the cutting room floor. After all, how long can the movie be? But with two films, Wicked will be able to tell the full scope of its story without rushing.
What we know about the Wicked movies are limited, but they're seemingly going to show us each act of the stage musical. Although some fans were confused after Wicked's trailer seemingly included plot points from late in the show. Later in her same interview, Erivo explained how the pair of movies will give us more time with Glinda and Elphie, offering:
You can follow these women behind the scenes a little bit more, and you get to learn about the two of them. We've expanded on their relationship as friends. That's a really important special thing that you have in the show, but here you really get to go with them in that. We've got something really special.
Now that's definitely an exciting concept. Broadway fans know that while Wicked served as a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, it's ultimately about the friendship that forms between Elphaba and Glinda. As they age that friendship takes new forms, ending with the beloved ballad "For Good." So fleshing out that sisterhood seems like a good reason to necessitate two different movies. That and how beloved the stage musical is to generations of fans.
With the movie's marketing campaign begun, hopefully we'll be treated to more footage soon. And the first Wicked movie is part of the next Barbenheimer event, as it opens the same day as the animated musical Moana 2.
Wicked hit theaters on November 27. For now I'll be streaming the Original Broadway Cast Recording until we get treated to more of Cynthia Erivo's killer vocals.
