The 2024 Tony Awards came to a powerful close with a dazzling union between two powerhouse performers, Idina Menzel and Cynthia Erivo. The actresses and singers graced the stage at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, coming together to present the award for Best Musical, which was ultimately claimed by The Outsiders. However, before delving into the category nominees, Menzel took a heartfelt moment to share with Wicked movie star, Erivo. “I’m just going to go off the script real quick to say how excited I am to see what I know is going to be an amazing performance in that movie that you’re doing,” Menzel expressed, referring to the film adaptation of the beloved Wicked musical. Erivo reciprocated the love by saying, “I love you,” with Menzel adding a touch of solidarity by exclaiming, “I just want to say green girl power.”
The highly-anticipated film adaptation of Wicked, directed by Jon M. Chu, is set to captivate audiences with a new take on the iconic story. The movie will be split into two parts, with the initial installment hitting theaters on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, and the sequel following suit on Dec. 25, 2025. Chu took to social media to explain the reasoning behind the decision to create a two-part film. “As we prepared for 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,” shared Chu in a letter posted in April 2022. He further elaborated, “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.”
The new adaptation of Wicked boasts an impressive ensemble cast, featuring big names such as Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Keala Settle, and Peter Dinklage. The script for the film was penned by the stage show’s original book writer, Winne Holzman, and composer-lyricist, Stephen Schwartz. Marc Platt is producing the film through his Universal-based Marc Platt Productions, alongside David Stone. Senior Executive Vice President of Production Erik Baiers and Vice President of Production Development Lexi Barta are overseeing the project on behalf of the studio, with David Nicksay, Schwartz, and Jared LeBoff serving as executive producers.
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