The cinematic adaptation of the immensely popular, award-winning Broadway play Wicked has garnered plenty of attention since it was announced, and now fans have even more to be excited about. The first official photos from the two-part film, directed by Jon M. Chu, have just dropped courtesy of the movie's Instagram account. Finally, we have a firsthand look at the film about two sisters that paint a dramatically different picture about the story of Oz.
Wicked has long since proven to be one of the most successful Broadway shows in history, constantly selling out shows to locals and tourists alike in New York City since its premiere in 2003, despite mixed reviews from critics. The production also traveled on tour to various cities around the U.S., and other countries like Japan even put together their own version of the play. The story of Wicked is broken into two main acts, the first focusing on estranged magical sisters Glinda (known initially as "Galinda"), Nessarose, and Elphaba when they were younger and much closer, attending school together and Elphaba striving to one day work for the Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
The second act occurs years later after Elphaba is banished for learning the truth about the Wizard and subsequently deemed a "Wicked Witch." Various events that transpire between the three sisters lead to the origins of well-known characters like the Scarecrow and the Tin Man. Eventually, a tornado conjured by Madame Morrible to draw Elphaba out of hiding leads to the tragic death of Nessarose, known as the "Wicked Witch of the East," by simple association and crushed by a house carrying a young girl named Dorothy from Kansas. The story continues from very different perspectives than people initially knew from the original film.
The film adaptation will stick to the same structure as the play, also broken into two parts. Both are being helmed by director Jon M. Chu and written by Winnie Holzman, Gregory Maguire, and Stephen Schwartz, who created the musical. While the characters of Glinda and Elphaba were originally played by Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, respectively on stage, the cast for the film will be notably different. Ariana Grande is set to play Glinda, while Cynthia Erivo will play Elphaba. Other stars include recent Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard (of course), Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Ethan Slater as Boq, and Marissa Bode as Nessarose.
As seen in the photos above, we see Ariana Grande in a flowing pink dress as Glinda, climbing stairs in an unknown location. We also see an ominous look at Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, presumably during her downfall as the banished "Wicked Witch of the West," clad in her signature outfit with her broom.
Dove Cameron's Thoughts About Grande's Casting
Fans of Wicked have taken to task brainstorming who should play which character, particularly sisters Glinda and Elphaba, and actress Dove Cameron was apparently a beloved contender for the role of Glinda. However, Grammy-winning singer Ariana Grande was ultimately chosen to play the good witch, to the surprise and still plenty of excitement of many. Given just how much fanfare there was around Cameron potentially obtaining the role, she was inevitably approached in an interview by The Wrap about the prospect. She opened up about the process of auditioning for one of the most coveted roles in musical history.
I definitely went out for it. I know that for everybody who did go out for it, it was a very long process. It was one of the longer processes I’ve been a part of.
She also talked about excited she was to see her friend and fellow Disney child actor land the role.
I’m so excited for Ariana. She’s a genuinely dear friend of mine. We met when we were super young. I think she’s gonna kill it. I think the whole cast is phenomenal head to toe. So, like, as a fan, I’m really, really excited to see it.
Wicked Part 1 is set to premiere in theaters just after Thanksgiving, on Nov. 27.