The big screen adaptation of hit Broadway musical Wicked has been stalled for a long time, but now it is moving faster than a tornado. While the two-part movie is set to be directed by Jon M. Chu, fresh off his work on In the Heights, and being led by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, it looks like a member of Hollywood royalty is about to board the project in the form of Jeff Goldblum. According to Variety, the Jurassic World: Dominion star is in final talks to take on the role of the Wizard in the film.
While the Wizard is a bumbling fool in the original story of The Wizard of Oz, in Wicked, he is turned into the villain of the story. A suave and enigmatic figure, the Wizard’s intentions are soon shown to be devious and wicked, and the switch up could very well be up Goldblum’s street. Although he has been much better known for his protagonist roles in movies such as Independence Day and Jurassic Park, he has played darker characters such as Seth Brundle in The Fly, and the jovial villain of the Grandmaster in Thor: Ragnarok.
The news of Goldblum joining the cast is still to be confirmed officially by the studio or director, it seems like a pretty sure thing and a solid choice for the role. While Goldblum is not the first star to be mentioned in relation to the role of Fiyero aka the Wizard, with Bridgerton’s Jonathan Bailey previously in the frame, it looks like things have now moved more in Goldblum’s favor and will see the star taking on his first movie musical role.
Defying Gravity Is the Main Reason Wicked Will Be In Two Parts
Having passed from studio to studio, going through numerous directors and writers, the recent surge in movie musicals has made this the perfect time for Wicked to finally make its mark in cinemas. While the movies will expand on the stage show with new songs and a more detailed story taken from the novel, in a previous interview, songwriter Stephen Schwartz broke down the thought process behind the two movie approach. He said:
“The truth is we tried for some time to make it one movie, even if it had to be one very long movie. But we kept running into two problems. The first is that even as a very long single movie, it required us cutting or omitting things that we wanted to include and that we think fans of the show and the story will appreciate. Secondly, we found it very difficult to get past ‘Defying Gravity’ without a break. That song is written specifically to bring a curtain down, and whatever scene to follow it without a break just seemed hugely anti-climactic. So, for these two reasons, plus the excitement of doing something that’s never been done before with a musical, we have decided to do two movies. Of course, when it’s all done, if it doesn’t work that way, we’ll have to figure something out. But we strongly believe that this is what’s best for our story, our show, and our fans.”
Wicked will hit cinemas in two parts across December 2024 and December 2025.