After two decades as one of the most beloved and enduring musicals on the stage, Wicked makes its long-awaited journey to the big screen as a spectacular, generation-defining cinematic event this holiday season.
Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Jon M. Chu, Wicked is the first chapter of a two-part immersive, cultural celebration. Wicked Part Two is scheduled to arrive in theaters on November 26, 2025.
Wicked, the untold story of the witches of Oz, stars Emmy, Grammy and Tony winning powerhouse Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, a young woman, misunderstood because of her unusual green skin, who has yet to discover her true power, and Grammy-winning, multi-platinum recording artist and global superstar Ariana Grande as Glinda, a popular young woman, gilded by privilege and ambition, who has yet to discover her true heart.
The two meet as students at Shiz University in the fantastical Land of Oz and forge an unlikely but profound friendship. Following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads and their lives take very different paths. Glinda’s unflinching desire for popularity sees her seduced by power, while Elphaba’s determination to remain true to herself, and to those around her, will have unexpected and shocking consequences on her future. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfill their destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
As the film prepares to fly into theatres this November, Peter Gray spoke with the creatives behind the magic of Oz, including choreographer Christopher Scott, about honouring the stage show throughout the film, which musical number proved the most challenging, and which actor truly surprised him with their dancing ability.
Having already worked with Jon before, is there a sense of shorthand between the two of you now?
Yeah, we’ve been working together now for 15 years. That combination, as well as cinematographer Alice Brooks, we have a major shorthand. Typically when I have a routine, I’ll design a lot of the shots and present that to the director. With (Wicked) it’s a balance of that and them already knowing. It is this amazing collaboration. It’s always joyful. We also when to just step up, no pun intended, into the desired space and give each other the moments to say, “Okay, you take this.”
Is there any particular strategy that you implement so that your vision will be effectively communicated across all the different departments?
In a weird way you kind of just go with the flow. When your focus is on the story of it, that then becomes the driving force. There’s never been a time when someone has said something isn’t working. We all do the work in the office space, and Jon gives incredible detail like no other director I’ve ever worked with. Jon will have, you know, music picked out and will want it specifically played for certain parts, but then sometimes he’ll leave it open for me to play.
We’re so used to seeing certain things happen on stage. Is it difficult to step away in a choreographer space from the routines we see play out in the stage production? Is it a sense of disconnecting between the two mediums?
I’ve never really looked at it as stepping away from the stage show. It’s all our own choreography, but I love that stage show so much. It always feel like we need to honour the stage show, and honour what they did with the space that we are so grateful to have now. The tools that I got to play with here, you just can’t do that on a Broadway stage. We have such massive sets. There’s one number where we have over 150 dancers. So that’s very different in itself. But some of my favourite things in the stage show are these beautiful lifts, and every time I watch the show I just think, “Man, 8 shows a week, these guys are killing it.” There’s a little homage to that with some lifts I have here. There’s a lot happening, but if you notice it, you notice it. And that was a direct homage to the beautiful stage work.
When I spoke to you for In The Heights, I remember you singled out Melissa Barrera as being a rockstar for what she pulled off in “The Club’ sequence. Was there anyone in Wicked that really surprised you with what they were able to do?
This one was crazy, I’m not going to lie. This (Wicked) cast all have a dancing ability that I don’t even think they knew about until they got here. I mean, Cynthia Erivo was in a dance crew in London, and I’m hiring dancers from her crew. The expectations for her were always really high, and we had some amazing opportunities to really showcase her as a mover. And then Ariana, we know she can dance. We’ve seen her dance. But this is a different world we’re building. We’re filming “Popular”, and you see in the trailer that big kick she does, and we’re sitting just goofing around and she does that kick, and we’re like, “Ari, are you kidding me? Where has that been the entire time? Were you hiding it from us?” And now, boom, it’s in the trailer. A lot of magical moments like that would happen. Bowen Yang, I think was very nervous about the dancing, and then you get him in the space and you see the focus. Bowen and Bronwyn (James), I would tell them that they are dancers, and still to this day they think “Ha ha you say that to everybody,” but the truth is they really are. They don’t live the dancer life and rehearse every day, but they could. I really believe that.
And then Jeff Goldblum is a legitimate tap dancer. There’s a moment you think it might be a dance double, but I can promise you it’s Jeff Goldblum dancing. Every day was just an amazing experience with these super talented actors. They’re triple threats.
When you realise how well everyone can dance, does it make you think to push everyone harder? Or is it a case of, “Oh, my job is much easier now.”
I remember a moment where I met Cynthia and she pulled me aside and said “Go hard on me.” She gave me that permission, and it was so gratifying at the end of shooting when we both acknowledged each other’s work. You want to show up for them. I see how hard they’re working, so I want to make sure I’m doing the same for them. I will say what was so beautiful about Cynthia and Ari is that those roles meant so much to them, but I never felt a sense of pressure from themselves. They still showed up and had fun. We were able to find fun in that space. When you’re designing a number like “Popular’, for example, you need to have fun in that space or you’re not having fun in the theatre. My hat goes off to those women. I can’t even imagine the pressure they might’ve felt, but I did not feel it from them. Ever.
Is there any sequence in this that you’re most proud of? Either because it proved so challenging, or just how it was executed in its entirety?
I mean, “Dancing Through Life” as a whole. We had this mechanism on set…I mean, Jon Chu has a creative brain. And I love him because his brain goes to these places where he has these ideas, and you think “Is this possible?” We had a Jon Chu-Nathan Crowley collaboration element where they were melding their minds together, and what we end up with is an incredible playground for me. It was really difficult though, because it took a lot of dancers with different levels of skill. I tapped into the circus community and the parkour community, and I found they were the most helpful. I got to learn about this art form. You can be a circus performer or a dancer and have incredible strength, but there’s something about precision and reacting with such speed. It’s such a huge journey as a musical number too. We had to treat it with a lot of care, and that was probably my favourite part of the process of the film.
Australian audiences can attend the first screenings of Wicked at limited previews on November 20, celebrating a “Wicked Wednesday” in cinemas nationwide. Tickets to these exclusive events go on sale today, Friday October 11, along with tickets to the film’s season. Citizens of Oz are all invited to gather their best friends, sisters, boyfriends, young and old to experience the magical spectacle on the big screen.
On November 3, Sydney will be the first stop on the global Journey Through Oz premiere tour – a series of themed premieres across five international cities offering audiences an unparalleled experience of the film’s wondrous, breathtaking world.
Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba) and Ariana Grande (Glinda) will be joined by their co-stars Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Marissa Bode, Ethan Slater and the film’s visionary director Jon M. Chu at the Australian premiere – a whimsical tribute to Munchkinland, the first wonderous realm in the world of Wicked. The Australian Premiere of Wicked is presented in partnership with American Express.
After the land of Oz experiences the magic of Wicked, the three continent global extravaganza will continue when the cast head to the Los Angeles premiere, reimagined as the ornate Shiz University, then Mexico City, which will unveil the mystical Enchanted Forest, a special screening at the renowned Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City featuring a re-creation of the film’s glamorous Ozdust Ballroom, and finally, the London premiere where the shimmering Emerald City will be showcased in all its glory.
Wicked opens nationally in Australian theatres on November 21st, 2024.
