Director Jon M. Chu revealed the first look at Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba e Ariana Grande as Glinda in the film version of Wicked. “You haven’t been told the whole story. What happens when you leave the Yellow Brick Path? FIRST LOOK at the #WickedMovie… currently in production in Oz,” this is the caption that Chu has chosen to accompany the first images of the protagonists of the film adaptation of the Broadway musical.
In the very dark photos, Erivo sports her character’s signature witch hat and broom, while a blonde Grande wears a striking pink dress as she climbs a ladder, also heavily iconographic of the witch Glinda.
Wicked – Part 1 is based on the acclaimed Broadway musical, which in turn is based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the Westwhich itself is based on the 1900 classic L. Frank Baum The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. Wicked – Part 1 tells the story of two friends, Elphaba and Glinda, who struggle to maintain their friendship as they drift apart. The story serves as a prequel de The Wizard of Oz but the plot also contains events after the arrival of Dorothy in Oz. Wicked – Part 2 should instead arrive the following year, or 2025.
The film adaptation will be produced by Marc Platt through his Universal-based Marc Platt Productions. SVP of Manufacturing Erik Baiers and VP of Manufacturing Development Lexi Barta will oversee the project on behalf of the Universal Pictures. The stage musical Wicked won three Tony Awards and is adapted from Gregory Maguire’s bestselling novel by book writer Winnie Holzman and three-time Academy Award-winning composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz. Holzman and Schwartz are currently collaborating on the film adaptation as screenwriters.