Jon M. Chu is set to be the new director for the theatrical adaptation of Wicked. Chu recently had to leave the Willow series for Disney+ that he had been expected to direct. With his schedule open again and Billy Elliot director Stephen Daldry departing from Wicked, the opening was there for Chu to take the helm.
Chu confirmed the news via Twitter saying:
“Too late for second-guessing Too late to go back to sleep It’s time to trust my instincts Close my eyes and leap…” #WickedMovie
#StephenSchwartz #WinnieHolzman #MarcPlatt it’s time. So… Twitterverse, who should we cast?
In a message typed in an image on the tweet. “Most of my life I have felt out of place, weird and different. I hid behind my camera because people liked to be filmed and I could disappear. But when I saw Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman’s ‘Wicked’ over 15 years ago as it was being workshopped in San Francisco I couldn’t unsee it,” he shared. “So to think that I have been invited to bring this timeless story to the biggest screens all around the world for people to experience with their family, best friends and total strangers… of all walks of life, ages, shapes and colors is like I’ve been invited to Oz by the Wizard himself.”
Wicked is a musical that tells the story before the events that most people know from The Wizard of Oz. In the original Broadway run, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth portrayed Elphaba (Wicked Witch of the West) and Glinda (Good Witch), two best friends who would eventually turn enemies. The musical was adapted from a book of the same name by Gregory Maguire. Ahead of the pandemic, it was one of Broadway’s longest-running shows.
The music and lyrics to the original Broadway show were written by Stephen Schwartz, who is now adapting the screenplay with Winnie Holzman. Marc Platt, who was a producer on the musical, is also producing the film version. It is expected that there will be at least two new songs written for the movie. It is also expected that popular songs like Gravity and Popular will make a return for the film.
Chu comes off recently directing the Lin-Manual Miranda musical In the Heights. He also is known for directing Crazy Rich Asians. What do you think of him becoming the director for Wicked? Who do you think should be cast in the film version of this popular Broadway musical? Share your thoughts, opinions, and ideas in the comments below!
