These movies are going to be “Popular!”
Fans have finally gotten their first look into the “Wicked” movies with photos of Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba.
Director Jon M. Chu shared the two stills from the upcoming two-part movies on Instagram.
“You weren’t told the whole story. What happens when you veer off the Yellow Brick Road? FIRST LOOK of the #WickedMovie … currently in production in Oz,” Chu captioned the post.
“Green & Pink. It always starts with green and pink,” he wrote in a second post.
Erivo, 36, commented on the first-look photos, writing, “It’s been wonderful making magic with you,” accompanied by green heart emojis.
Chu followed up with more on Twitter, sharing his affection for Grande, 29, and Erivo.
“I’ve already been changed for good by these two women… #CynthiaErivo & #ArianaGrande as the Witches of Oz. They will lift ur spirits, break ur heart and leave you speechless with their voices. So excited to introduce you into our world… SO much more to come,” Chu tweeted.
The films are an adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, which debuted in 2003. In its original run, the roles of Glinda and Elphaba were played by Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, respectively.
A prequel to “The Wizard of Oz,” “Wicked” tells the story leading up to Dorothy’s arrival in Oz. The musical is based on the 1995 novel “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” by Gregory Maguire.
When production of the movie adaptation began, Chu took to social media to share that rather than one film, “Wicked” would be split into two films.
Chu declared in his announcement via Twitter that “it would be 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,” the filmmaker continued.
Chu explained that giving themselves a “bigger canvas” with two movies will allow for the story of “Wicked” to be told “as it was meant to be told while bringing even more depth and surprise to the journeys of these beloved characters.”
The cast also includes Bowen Yang, Keala Settle, Marissa Bode, Brownwyn James, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater and Jonathan Bailey.
Last month, Jeff Goldblum, 70, confirmed on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” that he’s playing the Wizard in the two-part adaptation.
The first “Wicked” movie will hit theaters Nov. 27, 2024. The second installment is currently set for release on Dec. 25, 2025.
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