Summary
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Wicked
gives a sneak peek into its magical world with practical sets for the Emerald City and Munchkinland. - Director Jon M. Chu and the cast emphasize the immersive experience created by the fantastical setting of Oz.
- The film’s mainstream appeal, family-friendly nature, and vibrant visuals make it one of 2024’s most anticipated movies.
A new Wicked behind-the-scenes video showcases the film’s use of practical sets. Releasing on November 22, Wicked: Part One will adapt the first half of the beloved Broadway musical, while the second half will be adapted in Part Two, which is scheduled to debut a year later on November 26, 2025. Wicked: Part One was initially going to release the same day as Moana 2, but was moved back five days earlier, where it will release alongside Gladiator II instead.
Wicked‘s new behind-the-scenes video features the practical sets of the Emerald City, Munchkinland, and Shiz University locations in the movie musical. Check out the video below:
Director Jon M. Chu emphasizes how these sets were built to make the fantastical setting of Oz tangible and to make it more immersive, even going so far as to grow nine million tulips. Cynthia Erivo, who plays Elphaba, explains how seeing all of these rich visual details adds to the imagination, while Ariana Grande, who plays Glinda, expresses her enthusiasm for how Oz was physically brought to life like never before.
Wicked Is One Of 2024’s Most Exciting Upcoming Movies
It Is More Mainstream Than Many Other Movie Musicals
Wicked‘s use of practical sets and the attention to visual detail makes the film an even more exciting prospect. It is a promising sign that the movie musical will not only be immersive due to the Wicked cast’s acting and vocal talents, but through Chu’s direction and the cinematography that will bring Oz to life. Wicked can work as a musical and as a fantasy film that leans into the vibrant colors, distinct cultures, and uniqueness that define Oz.
Another element that makes Wicked exciting is that it is likely to be a mostly family-friendly live-action film. Most of 2024’s family-friendly films, from the ongoing box office successes of Inside Out 2 and Despicable Me 4 to the upcoming Moana 2, are animated. Animated films are vital to the entertainment industry, but there should be family-friendly live-action offerings in theaters as well, which Wicked can offer as long as it is an adaptation of the Broadway musical and does not incorporate the novel’s darker and more mature elements.
The Broadway musical is adapted from the novel
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
by Gregory Maguire.
Especially with pop star Grande in a leading role, the Wicked movie has more mainstream appeal than many other movie musicals. Releasing at the same time as Gladiator II may also recapture a Barbenheimer box office battle as the two tonally different films release simultaneously. Regardless of how it performs against Gladiator II, the practical sets and wide-ranging appeal of Wicked make it one of 2024’s most exciting movies still to be released.
Source: Wicked
Wicked
Based on the famous play that stemmed from The Wizard of Oz, Wicked is a fantasy musical that sees an all-new cast take on the modern tale. The film explores the origins of the Wicked Witch of the West, a woman scorned by society due to her green skin, with even the Wizard of Oz framing her for a crime she didn’t commit.
- Director
- Jon M. Chu
- Release Date
- November 27, 2024
- Studio(s)
- Marc Platt Productions
- Distributor(s)
- Universal Pictures
- Writers
- Winnie Holzman , Stephen Schwartz