Everything you need to know about the new Wicked movies
Fans of the musical will NOT be disappointed!
Following the news that Ariana Grande would be starring in the long-awaited movie musical Wicked alongside Cynthia Erivo, fans have been keen for any dribs and drabs of information they can get on the film. Here's our guide on all of the news we've had about the upcoming films so far, from the release dates, first look images AND some behind-the-scenes snaps.
With the Wicked movie being split into two parts, the excitement for the films is through the roof - with two release dates being confirmed, and an ever-expanding star-studded cast list. Find out everything you need to know - including the big question on everyone's lips... Will Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel be returning in some capacity?!
WATCH: Wicked 2024 movie trailer
In February, bosses over at Universal Pictures gifted us with an INCREDIBLE trailer to wet our whistles ahead of the film coming out later this year. Watch the magic unfold below:
The stunning trailer shows Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande starring as Elphaba and Glinda respectively, while we also get a glimpse of Bridgerton's Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero and even Jeff Goldblum's magnificent Wizard.
There's even a haunting reworking of the film's signature song, 'Defying Gravity', playing underneath to set your arm hairs on end even more.
And it's safe to say that the trailer has met with fans' approval, with many taking to their social media pages with joyous comments. One wrote: 'This is the exact quality I was expecting and Jon Chu did NOT disappoint!' while another added: 'The soundtrack will be beyond this world!'
When will the Wicked movies be released?
As if the news that we can expect the story to span over two films wasn't exciting enough, we now have an official release date - a whole month earlier than initially thought!
Part One
Both director Jon M. Chu and Ariana took to their socials to share the exciting news in March, as well as a brand new logo, revealing that Part One will be released on 27th November 2024 - which is around Thanksgiving in the United States.
Fans could barely contain their excitement, with one heading to the comments to write: 'i mean this with my whole chest …… im screaming and crying' (sic), and another gushing: 'OH MY GOODNESS now that’s a great news THANK YOU see you in shiz💚'. (sic)
Ariana's mum, Joan, also took to the comments to share the love, writing: 'Wooohoooo I cannot wait!!!' (sic), before adding: 'So thankful!!! Turkey sandwiches in the theatre!!!!' (sic).
Sharing the new date on Twitter, director Jon M. Chu wrote: 'WICKED NEWS: We are deep into production on WICKED and everyday we get more and more excited to share with u the mischief we’ve been up to. So…We’ve decided to get it to you all a little earlier than planned. OUR NEW RELEASE Date is NOV 27th 2024! A little Thanksgiving treat!'
Part Two
Part Two of the Wicked movie was initially set for release over the festive period in December 2025, however on 20th June 2023 director Jon shared the exciting news that this had been brought forward a month, with a current release date of 26th November 2025.
Despite Jon accidentally making a typo in his original announcement tweet, he cleared things up by writing: 'It’s not a year delay. I wrote the wrong years 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️I meant part one 2024, part two 2025 . I’m an idiot. Also I’m in the middle of shooting so I was typing too fast 💚💚💚🌈🫧🫧🫧🪓'.
Further clarity came in the form of a post on the film's official Instagram page.
Latest cast announcement
The latest name to join the cast list is none other than Kerry Ellis - the first British performer to ever play the role of Elphaba on stage. News of her involvement in the upcoming film broke when she responded to director Jon M Chu’s wrap post: 'Very exciting xx thank you again for having us be part of this x'. (sic)
Kerry's role in Wicked is not currently known, although fans are excited to see her feature in the upcoming film.
Another one of the latest cast members to be announced is Adam James, who will be appearing as Glinda's father - a role which did not appear on stage. Adam appeared in You season four, as well as Vigil and Doctor Foster, as well as notable credits such as King Charles III at the Almeida, in the West End and on Broadway, and the West End transfer of Girl from the North Country.
First look at Ariana and Cynthia in the Wicked movie:
It's fair to say excitement is well and truly building, as in April 2023, bosses upped the ante as the film's official Instagram released some first look images from the upcoming movie! Giving us a glimpse of Ariana and co-lead Cynthia Erivo as Glinda and Elphaba for the first time, bosses shared two separate images - however, these have sadly now been removed from Instagram.
Captioning the image of Ariana as Glinda with a simple '💖', Cynthia's post - showing her as Elphaba - was appropriately captioned with the contrasting emoji: '💚'.
Of course, fans could barely contain their excitement at the tease, with one writing: 'GALINDA GRANDE!!!! 🫧💙💕💕💕', another saying: 'We will be WATCHING' and third commenting: 'best movie of 2024 incoming'. (sic)
With director Jon M. Chu also sharing the two images to his own Instagram, he wrote: '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. 🌪️🫧🧹@WickedMovie @UniversalPics #2024'.
The first look photos came just weeks after Ariana warmed our hearts as she shared some pics alongside her co-stars. She posted two Instagram Stories tagging Michelle Yeoh, who plays the role of Madame Morrible, saying 'we love you so much @michellyeoh_official it hurts'.
The second Story shows Ariana along with Michelle and fellow co-star Cynthia, as the trio struck a sweet pose.
Have they released any footage yet?
The first trailer was released in February 2024, giving us a whole host of footage from the film to consume! Prior to this, fans were treated to the first screening of rough footage from the films during CinemaCon in April 2023.
According to attendees, footage showed Ariana Grande's Glinda flying in her bubble, Cynthia Erivo's Elphaba flying on her broom stick, and being given her famous black hat, and Jeff Goldblum's charismatic Wizard.
On top of that, they saw snippets of Ariana and Cynthia singing film classics 'Defying Gravity' and 'Popular', as well as white-haired Michelle Yeoh, as Madame Morrible, trying to teach Cynthia's Elphaba to harness her witchy powers.
Earlier this year, the film director revealed that Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo insisted on using live vocals for their scenes, as opposed to pre-recorded tracks.
According to reports, a large portion of the footage focussed on Elphaba and Glinda's relationship. Classic lines such as "Pink goes good with green", "You really don't have to do that," and "I know. That's what makes me so nice," were also featured.
Will the film involve CGI?
With the films plunging us into the magical Land of Oz, fans were surprised to hear from director Jon M Chu that the upcoming movies will NOT be using CGI or blue-screen.
That's right, instead the film will be using real, large-scale sets to bring the magic to the big screen.
Ariana shares behind-the-scenes photos
Ariana and Cynthia also took to Instagram to share a joint post showing the pair holding hands, dressed as their characters in the upcoming film.
Fans and other celebrities have been quick to leave excited comments on the post, with one writing: '🥹🥹🥹😍 I love this duo', and another saying: 'The cuuuuutest witches in all of Oz 🥹✨'. (sic)
Another wrote: 'ive literally can’t think of anything to say other than how much i just adore this duo 🥹😭'. (sic)
What were the original release dates?
In a statement released by Jon and shared by Ariana, it was previously confirmed that the films would be released over the successive festive periods of 2024 and 2025. Initially, the first Wicked film was going to be released on 25th December 2024, with the second film in December 2025. This has now been brought forward a month for both films, however there's still a bit of a wait left until we see Elphaba and Glinda on the big screen in Part One.
In an Instagram post, the statement read: ‘Here's what happened: as we prepared this production over the last year, it became increasingly clear that it would be impossible to wrestle the story of WICKED into a single film without doing some real damage to it.'
It continued: '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. So we decided to give ourselves a bigger canvas and make not just one WICKED movie but TWO!!!! With more space, we can tell the story of WICKED as it was meant to be told while bringing even more depth and surprise to the journeys of these beloved characters.
‘Cynthia, Ariana, and I - and all of the cast and crew - pledge to create nothing less than an experience that honors its foundation for all the fans who've waited for this movie, and to offer a thrilling, fantastical world full of dynamic characters that invites in those who are unfamiliar.’(sic)
Was production affected by the actors' strike?
As widely reported, in May 2023, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike, which represents 11,500 screenwriters. Paired with the writers' strike of the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), as part of a larger Hollywood labour complaint, this fuelled the largest interruption to both TV and film production in the US since the Coronavirus pandemic.
With the WGA strike coming to an end in September 2023, and the SAG-AFTRA strike ending two months later in November, filming for the Wicked movie was paused, as many members of the cast were unable to work due to being bound by SAG-AFTRA contracts.
An exception, however, was none other than Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey, whose UK-based Equity contract saw him live out a rather surreal experience on set - a hint, it involves wigs...
With co-stars such as Ariana and Cynthia out of action, Jonathan was one of few on set, but ploughed through to complete some of his shots as Fiyero.
Speaking to SiriusXFM’s Andy Cohen, Jonathan revealed: "I think we had 10 days left filming before the strike hit. I was the only actor who was on an Equity contract, so I had these four days where I came up and acted with people in wigs, who were pretending to be (the other characters)."
Jonathan spilled the surprising information in November 2023, also revealing that he has more scenes left to film, which he is "so glad" for, describing it as the "most extraordinary thing". He also teased that he has a duet with Ariana in the upcoming film, as well as a song with Cynthia.
What is Wicked about?
Wicked is based on the novel by Gregory Maguire and tells us the story of the relationship between Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West (Elphaba) from The Wizard of Oz before Dorothy landed.
In this story we see how the pair meet at school, eventually become friends and the rift that grows when the pair share a love interest and have separate responses to the Wizard's corrupt government - which leads to Elphaba being branded as the Wicked Witch.
Who is directing?
The film is being directed by Jon M. Chu who is best known for directing the film Crazy Rich Asians. However, this won't be his first musical as he has already directed the film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's In the Heights, so we know Wicked is in safe hands.
Wicked movie: Cast
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande will lead the film adaptation which has been in the works at Universal studios since 2004.
Jon M. Chu shared the news on Twitter back in November 2021: 'Goooood Newwwws!!! The incredible #CynthiaErivo and @ArianaGrande will be our Elphaba and Galinda in @WickedMovie @UniversalPics Get ready for a match up like you’ve never seen!!! In pink and green!!!' (sic)
Cynthia Erivo will play Elphaba, the misunderstood 'Wicked Witch of the West', Cynthia won a Grammy and a Tony Award for her role as Celie in the Broadway transfer of the Menier Chocolate Factory's production of The Color Purple. She also received two Oscar nominations for the film Harriet and an Emmy nomination for her role as Aretha Franklin in Genius: Aretha.
Michelle Yeoh will also be appearing in the film, portraying the role of Madame Morrible, as well as Adam James, who will be playing Glinda's father. The role of Glinda's father is new for the upcoming film, with the character not appearing on stage. Also joining them is Jonathan Bailey, famed for his leading role in Netflix's Bridgerton.
While on the red carpet for the Pinocchio film premiere in September 2022, Cynthia opened up about working with Ariana on Wicked, saying: "She is funny and unbelievably talented and unbelievably sweet and truly working hard."
The moment was shared on Twitter by Variety who interviewed the film star.
Before Ariana Grande was the international pop star we know today, she appeared on Nickelodeon shows Victorious and Sam & Cat and she actually started her career in the Broadway production of Jason Robert Brown's 13 the musical.
Will Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel be in it?
In April 2023, news of new cast members wasn't the only thing getting us talking - with a potential Kristin Chenoweth cameo getting fans VERY excited!
As fans of the musical will know, Kristin Chenoweth starred as Glinda the Good Witch in the original Broadway production of Wicked, from 2003, alongside Idina Menzel as Elphaba. Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, she addressed rumours that she might be making a cameo appearance in the upcoming movie adaptation.
Not giving too much away, Kristin simply stated that she "cannot confirm or deny" any involvement in the new film, which will see Ariana step into her shoes and play the role of Glinda.
In what may appear as a glimmer of hope, she continued: "I really...I really cannot. I'm waiting and we'll see." 👀
The actress also expressed her support for Cynthia and Ariana, as the 'Thank U, Next' singer steps "so beautifully into my shoes". She said: "I'm going to get to watch two women I know soar", before continuing: "I'm so excited for her, she's gonna put her own stamp on it."
In the cast of Idina Menzel, there has been no word on her involvement or a potential cameo... So far.
Who wrote the music?
The music and lyrics of Wicked were written by Stephen Schwatrz, other notable musicals by Stephen include Godspell, Pippin and The Prince of Egypt.
Will there be any new music?
It's too early to know just yet but it is common for new music to be added to a film adaptations. Musicals that received new songs for their film adaptations include Les Misérables, Everybody's Talking About Jamie and Dear Evan Hansen.
Who is writing the screenplay?
Stephen Schwartz is set to work alongside Winnie Holzman - who wrote the musical's book - on the film's screenplay. Mark Platt who produced the musical is also set to produce the film version.
You can hear songs by Ariana Grande on heat radio.
Take a look at Ariana Grande's career so far:
Early life
Ariana was born in Florida in 1993 to CEO Joan Grande and company owner Edward Butera, who had recently moved the family from New York to the sunshine state. As a child growing up in Florida, she enjoyed taking part in school plays. Ariana then moved to New York as a young teenager, and in 2008 she starred in the Broadway musical 13.
2010 - 2013: Victorious
After that she moved onto a Nickleodeon TV series called Victorious, where she played the role of Cat Valentine. Following four seasons on Victorious she then starred in two seasons of the spin-off series Sam & Cat before taking roles other TV and theatre roles.
2011: 'Give It Up'
Her move towards music started in 2011 when she featured on the 'Music from Victorious' album singing 'Give It Up' with her co-star Elizabeth Gillies.
2013: Debut album
In 2013, the singer released her debut album, 'Yours Truly', which she described as a "throwback" to the R&B music of the 1990s. The first single released from her album was 'The Way' and featured her former boyfriend Mac Miller.
2014: 'Problem'
It wasn't until 2014 and the single 'Problem' that Ariana Grande saw chart success in the UK. The music video for the song, featuring Australian rapper Iggy Azalea, won Best Pop Video at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards and has now been viewed more than 1 billion times on YouTube.
2014: Jessie J collaboration
Following 'Problem' Ariana had a number of top 10 hits in the UK, including 'Bang Bang' with Jessie J and Nicki Minaj in 2014, working with Nicki once again on 'Side to Side'. She also saw huge success with 'One Last Time', which appeared on her second album 'My Everything', released in August 2014.
2016: 'Dangerous Woman'
Ariana also embarked on her biggest tour to date - the 'Dangerous Woman Tour' supporting her third album 'Dangerous Woman'. Devastatingly, her show at Manchester Arena on 22nd May 2017 ended with a horrific tragedy when a bomb killed 22 people and injured many others.
Following the terrible events of that night, messages of support for those affected poured in from around the world, including many from pop stars and celebrities.
Ariana, along with her team, worked quickly to put on a show that would bring everyone together at such a difficult time. Less than two weeks after the attack, the One Love Manchester benefit concert took place, with a line-up that included Katy Perry, Little Mix, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber and many more artists - as well as Ariana herself.
2018: 'Sweetener'
Ariana understandably took some time off during 2017, but returned in August 2018 with her 'Sweetener' album which peaked at Number 1 in the UK and US, as well as many other countries around the world. It catalogued her dealing with everything she'd been through, as well as her relationship with Pete Davidson, which ended in October 2018.
2018: 'thank u, next'
Ariana suffered yet more loss in 2018 when her ex-boyfriend and close friend Mac Miller passed away. She paid tribute to him in beautiful Instagram posts, and even referenced him as an "angel" in her song 'thank u, next' - which practically broke the Internet with its incredible music video, taking inspiration from many iconic 90s and 00s teen films like Mean Girls.
2019: 'thank u, next' Take 2
...But Ari wasn't done there! Releasing her second album in less than six months, the album 'thank u, next' came out in February 2019, again topping the charts all over the world.
2019: Honoured with a waxwork
Ariana's waxwork at Madame Tussaud's was unveiled on Tuesday 21st May for an exclusive five-week residency starting on Friday 24th May. The final design of Ariana was chosen by fans, and Steve Davies, General Manager at Madame Tussauds London, said, "There is no doubt about it – Ariana Grande is one of the biggest female pop-superstars in the world right now and rightfully deserves this residency at Madame Tussauds London.
"Fans have been asking that Ariana's figure join our A List line up for some time and we loved working with them to decide the star's outfit. Much like the lady herself, Ariana's figure will be making her London appearance for a limited time only so Arianators should be quick to grab a chance to 'meet' their idol!"
2019: Charlie's Angels reboot
Ariana co-executive produced the soundtrack to the 2019 reboot of Charlie's Angels, singing the title track 'Don't Call Me Angel' with Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey.
2020: Potential casting in the live-action Hercules?
Ari took part in the Disney Family Singalong during lockdown in April 2020, singing 'I Won't Say I'm In Love' from Hercules - sparking calls for her to play the role of Meg in the upcoming Disney live-action remake of the 1997 animated original.
2020: Surprise release of her sixth album
Ariana announced in October 2020 that her sixth album would be released that month! At the time, she released no other information about the record, keep her fans in total suspense.
2020: The release of her sixth album 'positions'
Ari then released her sixth album 'positions' just two weeks later on Friday 30th October 2020 - and fans were over the moon!
2021: Ariana, Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion
In 2021, Ariana released a remix of her track '34+35' that featured on her album 'positions'. The track, '34+35 Remix', features huge names Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion and was a massive hit with fans. Later that year, Ariana returned the favour to Doja Cat, featuring on 'I Don't Do Drugs' from Doja's third album 'Planet Her'.
2021: Ari joins the judging panel for The Voice
In March 2021, Ariana was announced to be joining the judging panel for The Voice US! She'll be replacing Nick Jonas on the panel and sit alongside Kelly Clarkson, John Legend and Blake Shelton when the show returns in September 2021.
2021: Ariana Grande announced for new Wicked film
Ariana Grande was announced as Glinda in the upcoming film adaptation of Wicked, which is also star Cynthia Erivo. Ariana has been a fan of Wicked for many years, even taking part in an NBC special called A Very Wicked Halloween, to celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of the musical.
2021: Ariana Grande releases her R.E.M. Beauty make-up range
In September 2021, Ariana Grande announced that she is launching her own beauty brand called R.E.M. Beauty.
The make-up range was then launched in November 2021 and is described on the website as: 'r.e.m. beauty was created to empower you with the tools you need to bring your most vivid, limitless, and creative dreams to life.
'Our products blend otherworldly ideas with real world innovation to inspire you to explore what creativity means to you.'
2021: Ariana Grande stars in Netflix film Don't Look Up
Ariana starred in the Netflix comedy drama Don't Look Up, written and directed by Academy Award winner Adam McKay. Ariana plays world-famous musician Riley Bina, who performs a song. According to Adam, the singer improvised some of the song which he immediately thought: "Oh, that's going in the movie".
Don't Look Up also stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence as astronomers try to convince the world that there is a comet threatening to wipe out life on Earth.
2022: Ariana Grande releases Chapter 2 of her R.E.M. Beauty make-up range
In March 2022, Ariana released Chapter 2 of her R.E.M. Beauty make-up range. The singer shared a number of photos on her social media along with a promotional video.
In May, Ari shared a video on r.e.m. beauty's official YouTube, where she lead a makeup tutorial using products from both Chapters.
2022: Ariana is announced as a guest judge on RuPaul's Drag Race
On 14th December 2022, the exciting news was announced that Ariana Grande would be returning to the RuPaul's Drag Race judging panel!
Both the show's official socials, and Ariana herself, confirmed the exciting news, revealing that she would be making her Ru-turn as a guest judge for season 15, which would air in January 2023.
2023: First look at Ariana in Wicked movie released
On 16th April 2023, fans got their first look at Ariana in the Wicked movie! Sharing two posts, we also got to see Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba. With the first of two films set for release on 27th November 2024, you can see the first look images and everything else we know about the Wicked film here.
2023: Ari's R.E.M. Beauty voted Best Celebrity Beauty Brand
In September 2023, Ariana's make-up brand R.E.M. Beauty was awarded the Cosmopolitan Reader's Choice Award for the Best Celebrity Beauty Brand! Just two years after the brand's official launch, and shortly after it launching its first Sweetener foundation - a 60-shade skin care-infused range - Ari celebrated the win on Instagram, writing: 'thank you @cosmopolitan readers for voting for @r.e.m.beauty ! we are so grateful (and we feel like we're just getting started) 🥲♡'. (sic)
2024: Ariana drops new single 'yes, and?
Ariana dropped her first solo music in three years on 12th January, an epic new single called 'yes, and?' which later appeared on her seventh album, 'Eternal Sunshine', which was released in March 2024. The song was an instant hit, flying to the Number 1 spot on the US Billboard Hot 100, and bagging the Number 2 spot in the UK Chart. Just one month after the vogue-like music video premiered on YouTube, it amassed over an impressive 40 million views.
2024: Ariana releases a remix track with Mariah Carey
On 16th February 2024, Ariana released a remixed version of her hit 'yes, and ?' with Mariah Carey! Citing the global superstar as the 'queen of my heart and lifelong inspiration', Ariana thanks Mariah for 'sprinkling your brilliance and magic on my little song'. The 'yes, and ?' remix was released alongside an accompanying lyric video of Ariana's YouTube channel.
Listen to Ariana Grande and Mariah Carey's 'yes, and ?' remix here on YouTube.
2024: Ariana releases seventh album 'Eternal Sunshine'
In January 2024, Ariana Grande delighted fans by announcing her highly-anticipated seventh album, 'Eternal Sunshine', which was released on 8th March 2024. Containing tracks like 'yes, and?', 'the boy is mine' and 'imperfect for you', it was an instant hit with fans who loved how raw yet uplifting the record is.
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