Dubai: For more than 20 years, the Broadway musical Wicked has captivated audiences worldwide with its unforgettable songs, memorable characters, and bold reimagining of The Wizard of Oz. Now, the magic of Wicked – the staggeringly popular WOZ prequel -- is coming to the big screen. Directed by Jon M. Chu, whose previous works include the vibrant Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights, this highly anticipated adaptation promises to be just as enchanting as the stage production.
As the film, starring Cynthia Erivo and pop sensation Ariana Grande, gets ready to hit UAE theaters on November 21, Jon Chu shares his personal connection to the story, his vision for the film, and the challenges of bringing a beloved stage show to life on screen. According to him, Wicked offers the perfect escape.
“It has everything—music, dance, adventure, action... There’s a part of you that will feel like a kid again when you watch this film, recognizing the yellow brick road and finding joy in every moment. But at the same time, your adult self will really connect with the deep friendship between these two women,” Chu said in a recent supplied interview.
Here are some excerpts from the conversation with the visionary director, who has skillfully tackled themes like identity, friendship, and sisterhood in his films, and now brings those same emotional layers to Wicked – with one great song at a time …
The musical Wicked has enchanted audiences for over two decades. What are your memories of it?
I first saw Wicked before it was a hit on Broadway, during a short run in San Francisco while I was in film school. It wasn’t fully formed yet, but I immediately fell in love with the musical and knew that one day it would also be a great movie—even though I never could have imagined at the time that I would end up being the person to bring it to life on screen. I loved The Wizard of Oz and the story of Dorothy and the Wicked Witch of the West and the Good Witch. Then, when I saw Wicked, I got to hear the backstory of the Wicked Witch, who maybe wasn’t so wicked after all – which to me was a fascinating idea. And I loved the songs of the genius Stephen Schwartz, like Defying Gravity or Popular, which have become so ingrained in my mind during the last 20 years.
What was your reaction when you received the opportunity to bring this story to the big screen?
When just a few years ago they called me to direct Wicked, I couldn’t believe it. I felt so lucky to bring the world of Oz – that has been portrayed by so many artists – to life. And to do it in such an immersive and expansive way was so exciting. Then we decided to make two movies, making sure that each one was emotionally satisfying and gave each character room to breathe.
That must have been a thrilling and challenging project for you.
I have adapted things before, but not on this scale. Crazy Rich Asians was adapted from a novel and In the Heights from the stage musical, but nothing like Wicked, where you are building a world and a universe. And things change depending on the mediums. On stage everything has to be out towards the audience, as you must perform for the person who is 200 feet away from you; whereas on film you must be inches away from a person, and you can see in their eyes if they don’t mean what they are saying. Also, the film audience can see a witch flying in front of a castle 10,000 feet away and experience the dizzying effect of vertigo by having that shot you cannot have on stage. We are using these giant dynamics to tell an emotional story about a character like Elphaba – our Wicked Witch – and Glinda the Good and a friendship that feels more real than any fairytale book out there. So, it was an opportunity to bring the audience into a much more intimate relationship with these characters and have deeper feelings regarding what is going on in their lives.
The scope is quite impressive.
We made sure that every detail was right by not just using CG but also building real things, like this giant 16-ton train that actually moves or planting 9 million tulips of all sorts of colors. And we created Emerald City and Munchkin villages with houses and shops you could walk into. The scope was extraordinary. No expense was spared in this.
And the result is visually stunning and truly spectacular to watch.
This has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me. It’s the kind of film that made me fall in love with cinema, thanks to movies like Lawrence of Arabia, E. T. The Extra-Terrestrial or The Lord of the Rings, because it transports you with the magic of the giant screen wrapping around you while you sit in the dark with a bunch of strangers and immerse yourself in the point of view of someone else’s life – which in this case is extraordinary. So, you get to fly, sing, fall in love, have you heart broken, and eventually receive healing through it all. I can’t wait for people to experience Wicked.
At its core, it’s the story of the friendship between Elphaba and Glinda. Can you talk about what two artists of the caliber of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande brought to those lead roles respectively?
From the beginning we knew these were the main roles, and the truth is that every actor who was in that age range and had the right talent wanted them. At first I thought we should try to find someone new, but what I quickly realized was that they were very difficult roles that needed master craftsmanship, as they required great singing and acting intertwining seamlessly, as well as a special chemistry. I think Cynthia is not just an amazing singer, but also an artist that has a frequency in her voice that goes into your heat. You can feel it when she is in the room with you. And she has this vulnerability with the character of the Wicked Witch that makes her yearn and feel out of place, which is so unique. And then we have Ariana, who we think we know, but we don’t. Every time she came into the room she showed us something new. She even said that Glinda was more her at times than Ariana Grande! I think people will be shocked with her performance, because she is so immersed in that character and is a true movie star. And the two of them together have a very real chemistry as true friends. We cried on set many times because it felt like a very healing movie for all of us to make, as everyone was going through change and the uncomfortable feeling of figuring out what the next chapter was going to be. So, when you have songs like Defying Gravity or The Wizard and I or Popular that are expressing those things, you can’t help but feel how relevant this is to so many generations, and Cynthia and Ariana represent that in all ways.
And what can you say of the extraordinary supporting cast you have assembled here?
Well, how can you picture anyone else but Jeff Goldblum as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz? When he does that little tap dance coming out of the giant 25-foot head we built that moves when he talks, it brought a smile to all our faces. Every crew member was like, “I can’t believe we get to do this movie!” Jeff Goldblum is extraordinary in that role, and he had so much fun with it, being bizarre and charming at the same time. And then we have an Oscar-winning actor like Michelle Yeoh – who I worked with on Crazy Rich Asians – doing her first role where she gets to sing, playing a great character in Madame Morrible. Jonathan Bailey is a rising star, and he is charming and fantastic as Prince Fiyero. Ethan Slater is hilarious as Boq, who has a whole storyline, as does Marissa Bode’s character, Elphaba’s sister Nessarose, or Pfannee, one of Glinda’s friends, played by Bowen Yang. And then we have Peter Dinklage as Doctor Dillamond and Keala Settle as Miss Coddle. Our cast was stacked, and everyone had a great time. This was a dream team. Every time I turned on the camera I never knew what I was going to get.
Music is, of course, a key element of this project. How was the process of getting that aspect of the movie right?
I feel lucky that in my career I have gotten to work with the best: Lin-Manuel Miranda on In the Heights and now Stephen Schwartz on Wicked. When I joined this project we spent the first 6 months – for hours at a time – just going through every page of the songs and libretto of the stage show, talking about why certain lines and themes were there. I wish we had recorded those moments because they ended up being a master class in forming story. I didn’t really say much, but mostly absorbed a lot and asked questions. Stephen is not just a music man, but a storyteller, and I enjoy working with someone like him that loves what he does and is creatively always expanding, even now when the orchestration of the music is coming to life. Sometimes you think you know what the film is, but as you are making it and everyone is working on it, the movie starts to tell you what it needs to be, and that’s when the great artists I work with get to react to what it seems to be asking for. It is a really fun discovery we are going through right now.
And what has it meant for you?
I’m still going through it. Wicked has made me look at myself both as a younger and older person, and ask: What do I want to be in the next chapter of my life? Because this is not just about following the yellow brick road to have the Wizard give you what your heart desires, but about you choosing what you want that story to be. And this movie has really helped me understand that we have the power to do that; so, I hope people feel empowered when they see it.
Don’t Miss It!
Wicked is out in UAE cinemas on November 21
