Wicked tells the early story of the Witches of Oz. The tale mainly focuses on Elphaba Thropp (Emmy, Grammy, and Tony winner Cynthia Erivo), who’s rejected by many because of her unusual skin. (It’s green!) She also has yet to discover and appreciate her true power.

Elphaba is the polar opposite of the gorgeous, spoiled, fawned-over, and overly ambitious Glinda Upland (global superstar Ariana Grande), who has grown up basking in the warmth of privilege and power.

The pair meet at Shiz University in the Land of Oz, and that’s where they form an unlikely but rock-solid friendship. Following an encounter with the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum), that friendship eventually reaches a crossroads, with the two women’s lives taking very different paths as a result.

The November release of Wicked is the film version of the stage musical of the same name by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman. Their creation hit Broadway in 2003 and became the first great musical of the new century.

Wicked, of course, drew from L. Frank Baum’s enduring 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Jon M. Chu directed the movie. In 2022, he decided that what is coming in November will be termed Wicked, while the second part will release in November 2025 as Wicked: Part Two.

Chu explains, “As we prepared the production over the last year, it became impossible to wrestle the story of Wicked into a single film without doing some real damage to it …

“As we tried to cut songs or trim characters, those decisions began to feel like fatal compromises to the source material that has entertained us all for so many years. We decided to give ourselves a bigger canvas and make not just one Wicked movie, but two!”

In addition, Chu cites Steven Spielberg’s 1991 film Hook as a source of inspiration for the Wicked use of the large-scale sets and special effects that bring many onscreen elements to life, including 9 million tulips in Munchkinland, an actual yellow brick road, and a life-sized Art Deco-inspired train used to transport Elphaba and Glinda to the Emerald City.

“We dreamed very, very, very big for Wicked,” Chu says. “A magical land of sights and sounds that will astonish, and performances that will lift your spirits … and occasionally break your hearts.”

See Wicked in theaters beginning Nov. 22.

P.S. Be prepared to be bombarded with a wide range of Wicked merchandise in time for the holiday season, as marketing promotions will include toys, apparel, books, and beauty products waiting to be thrust into eager young hands.

 

Randal C. Hill enjoys getting sneak peeks of forthcoming movies from his home on the Oregon coast. He can be reached at wryterhill@msn.com.

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