‘Wicked’ Movie: Release Date, Cast and Everything We Know

UPDATE ON FEBRUARY 12, 2024 AT 11:35AM ET: The article has been updated to include the latest release information and the first look teaser.

The Wizard of Oz has seen its fair share of iterations. After being published in 1900 by L. Frank Baum, the novel went on to inspire a plethora of movie adaptations, musicals, books and even saw the release of 14 sequels. The Broadway musical Wicked is one of the many works influenced from the literary classic – and now, it’s inspiring an adaptation of its own, a movie.

Based on 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire (which was a retelling of Baum’s novel), the musical premiered on Broadway in 2003 with Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth in the lead roles of Elphaba and Glinda, respectively.

The star-studded movie adaptation will see Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande taking on the popular roles.

Directed by Jon M. Chu, known for his work on the In the Heights musical movie, the Wicked movie will tell the musical’s story in two parts, which came as a shock for Broadway fans who noted that the musical is only 2 hours and 45 minutes in length. On Twitter, the director wrote that “it would be impossible to wrestle the story of Wicked into a single film without doing some real damage to it.”

He said, “As we tried to cut songs or trim characters, those decisions felt like fatal compromises to the source material that has entertained us all for so many years.” Stephen Schwartz, composer of the hit musical, echoed these notes (per Variety), adding that being a two-parter allows audiences to have a break following the Act 1 closer “Defying Gravity.” He also added that he will be penning an original song for the movie.

Desperate for more information? Here’s everything we know about the release of Wicked Part 1, including its release date, cast and more.

Wicked Release Date:

Wicked will be released on November 27, 2024 by Universal Pictures, with the sequel set to premiere on November 26, 2025.

How To Watch Wicked:

Wicked Part 1 will have a theatrical release from Universal Pictures. No information has been revealed about the movie’s future on streaming services; however, the studio recently allowed Peacock and Hulu to stream their new movies after a brief theatrical-only release.

What We Know About Wicked:

Filming has wrapped on Wicked, but the cast and crew has spoken candidly about the production process! On Dec. 10, 2022, director Jon M. Chu tweeted that he was on set for the movie. “I am tweeting on the set of #WickedMovie …. Is something I’ve waited years to say… and I can confidently confirm that Pink DOES INDEED go good with Green,” he wrote.

The prior day, Chu shared that he was working on the third day of shooting in London and told his followers, “things are going great.”

Back in April 2022, Erivo opened up to Variety about preparing for the role of Elphaba, saying that she plans to see the Broadway musical for the fifth time. During the interview, she was still in preproduction. Erivo told the outlet, “We’re sort of at the beginning, we’re all having conversations about what we want, what we want to do, like the style of it,” and went on to spill that Tony Award-winning designer Paul Tazewell will be doing the costumes.

Around the same time, her costar, Ariana Grande, said that playing Glinda is her dream role. In a Q&A video posted to the R.E.M. Beauty YouTube channel, the singer said that she delayed working on a new studio album, in part, because of “murmurs about a Wicked audition coming soon.” Speaking about the role, she said, “I know the material like the back of my hand, but I still have so much to learn and I wanted to be in prime condition. I went pretty hard getting ready.”

The description for the movie reads, “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.”

Wicked Part 1 Cast

Erivo and Grande lead Wicked Part 1 as Elphaba and Glinda, respectively. The cast also stars a delightful mix of screen actors and Broadway veterans, including Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard, Ethan Slater as Boq, Marissa Bode as Nessarose, Bowen Yang as Pfannee and Keala Settle as Miss Coddle.

Is There A Trailer for Wicked?

A first look at the Wicked movie dropped at the Super Bowl on February 11, 2024. Watch the teaser in the video above.