“Mamma Mia!,” “The Sound of Music”, “West Side Story”, and “The Phantom of the Opera”–what do all these popular musicals have in common? They were all made into movies. When it comes to Broadway there are a lot of musicals that are popular. Nowadays it seems like if a musical is super well-known and loved that it will get a movie adaptation. However, depending on the musical, it may take a lot of time to adapt into a film, or, there may even be the question: can this musical actually be made into a film?

For a while it seemed like that question was the case for the extremely popular Broadway musical “Wicked”. The musical first opened up on Broadway on October 30th, 2003. Since then it has captured the hearts of many, and is most likely one of the first things that come to people’s minds when they hear the words “broadway musical”. “Wicked” Is based on the book “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” by Gregory Maguire. The story is a prequel to L. Frank Baum’s novels “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” series. It follows Elphaba and Glinda, before and after they become The Wicked Witch of the West and the Good Witch of the North. The musical shows their backstories and also goes into the storyline of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” told from the both witches’ perspectives. You also get to see how The Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion came to be. “Wicked” is an amazing musical! With a great plot, incredible music, and a lot of fun new characters; it’s no wonder this musical is one of the best on broadway!

Since “Wicked” became so popular, many people have been wondering for years when it would be turned into a movie. For more than a decade there have been many rumors about when it will happen. The adaptation of “Wicked” was first announced in 2012 by Universal Pictures. A few years later in 2018, Universal put the film on hold due to production scheduling. One year later it was announced that “Wicked” would be released on December 22, 2021, but that film was put on hold once again in 2020 due to COVID-19. Would it ever come to be? 

Another big part of the delay of the “Wicked” movie was the casting. A lot of people were wondering who would be in the movie because it’s such a big project and so many people love the musical. In November 2021, it was announced that Cynthia Erivo would play Elphaba and Ariana Grande would play Glinda. Also in the cast is Ethan Slater(Boq), Jonathan Bailey (Fyero tigelaar), Michelle Yeoh (Madame Morrible), and Jeff Goldblum (The Wizard of Oz).

After the cast was announced, people eagerly anticipated the first poster or trailer. In early 2023 it was announced that “Wicked” would be made into two movies instead of one. The reason for this could be that there are scenes from the book to add in as well, which would make the feature film lengthier than the broadway musical. “Wicked: Part One” was originally set to release December 25, 2024, but was changed to November 27, 2024. While “Wicked: Part Two” is set to release one year later on December 25, 2025. Then finally on February 11, 2023, during Super Bowl 58, a “Wicked”’ first look commercial trailer was released. Fans were super excited to finally see a promotion, hundreds of thousands of people were posting their reactions online and reviews showing how excited they were. During this clip, it became official that this iconic musical is finally getting its time on the big screen this Thanksgiving!  If you are a broadway lover or just love “Wizard of Oz” make sure to catch this movie in the theaters and let us here at “The Highland Echo” know what you think!