We’re not just getting one Wicked movie, we’re getting two.
The highly anticipated adaption of the beloved Broadway musical Wicked will be split into two different films.
The movie’s director, Jon M Chu, announced the news on social media earlier this morning, and said that dividing the musical into two will allow them to explore the story with “even more depth and surprise”.
In an open letter, Chu thanked all the Wicked fans for their support and revealed exactly when fans can see the films in cinema.
He wrote: “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.
“As we tried to cut songs or trim characters, those decisions began to feel like a fatal compromises to the source material that has entertained us all for so many years.
Special #Wicked Movie Announcement… ✌🏼🎬🧹🌸💚sent from my OzPhone: pic.twitter.com/4qPpvVD4rR
— Jon M. Chu (@jonmchu) April 26, 2022
“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.”
Chu then said that his two leads – Ariana Grande (Glinda) and Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba) – pledge to “create nothing less than an experience that honours 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”.
The director concluded by revealing exactly when the two films will be out.
“Wicked is finally coming to you on successive Christmas holidays beginning December 2024,” he wrote. “Until then, I will be keeping you up to date throughout rehearsals, the shoot, and even editing. Here. We. Go.”
