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A novel turned successful Broadway musical now a movie with talented celebrities.

The Wicked story originated in 1955 when Gregory Maguire made L. Frank Baum’s beloved book The Wizard of Oz is a literary phenomenon. Wicked, written by Maguire, is the untold story of the witches of Oz. Winnie Holzman, lyricist Stephan Schwartz, and producers Marc Platt and David Stone turned the story into a successful Broadway musical in 2003. The musical starred Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel. On November 22, 2024, the film adaptation of Wicked by Jon M. Chu will be released, it is the first chapter of a two-part cinematic masterpiece. The second chapter of the movie is set to be released on November 21, 2025.

The Origin: The novel 

In 1955, nearly a century after L. Frank Baum’s timeless classic, The Wizard of Oz, first appeared on bookstore shelves in 1900, Novelist Gregory Maguire reimagined Baum’s story in his bestselling novel Wicked. The novel is about the forgotten stories of Oz’s witches Elphaba and Glinda. In his adaptation, set mostly before Dorothy arrives in Oz, Elphaba is a sympathetic, misunderstood witch who battles for acceptance and love before becoming a resistance fighter against the corrupt Wizard’s rule. The tale explores what makes someone or something “evil”.

The Broadway Musical:

The original production of Wicked, produced by Universal Stage Productions with producers Marc Platt, Jon B. Platt, and David Stone, director Joe Mantello, and choreographer Wayne Cilento, premiered on Broadway in October 2003. The original cast includes Idina Mendel as Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda. The original Broadway show won several Tony Awards, and seven Drama Desk Awards, and the original cast CD won a Grammy. The success of the Broadway show has resulted in several productions worldwide, including a long-running West End Production.

The Wicked Movie:

Universal Pictures and Marc Platt, the Broadway musical’s producer, confirmed the cinematic adaptation in 2012. Chu was hired to direct after a lengthy development process and many delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, cast in their respective roles in 2021. It was also decided to divide the film into two parts to accommodate the story’s epic scope and to elaborate on the characters ‘ journey and relationships, without removing any song or key plot points.

     Wicked premieres in The State Theater in Sydney, Australia on November 23, 2024, and will be made available theatrically in the United States on November 22, 2024. Critics gave the film mostly positive reviews, praising Chu’s direction and the performance of the cast, particularly Erivo, Grande, and Jonathan Bailey’s, as well as the film production’s values, emotional weight, and faithfulness to the original novel and musical; though, the cinematography, visual effects, and lengthy run time were criticized.

     Wicked’s journey from a novel to Broadway to film promises to captivate audiences while honoring its beloved story.