By Diya Ramachandran ‘26, Arts and Entertainment Staff Writer

A warm embrace from Glinda (Ariana Grande) to Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo). (image courtesy of Broadway News)

The novel “Wicked”, by Gregory Maguire, which tells the story of the land of Oz before Dorothy’s arrival in “The Wizard of Oz,” was soon upstaged by its musical version on Broadway, which the general public deemed more inspirational and touching. The upcoming movie version of “Wicked” is similar to the musical, but adds more detail, enticing those who are already familiar with the musical “Wicked” or the book “The Wizard of Oz.” While the filming of the upcoming movie hit a few obstacles, the movie is set to release later this year, with many of its teasers already hooking the public.

The director of the movie “Wicked” (2024) is Jon M. Chu, who directed other famous films such as “Crazy Rich Asians” (2018), “Now You See Me” (2013), and “In the Heights” (2021). The upcoming film adaptation of “Wicked” stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, or the Wicked Witch of the West, and Ariana Grande as Glinda, or the Good Witch. Other actors in the film include Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum.

The filming of “Wicked” began in December of 2022 but was put on hold due to the SAG-AFTRA strike in 2023. It was also delayed due to situations concerning COVID-19, but was finally completed just a month ago in January of 2024. Despite the interruptions during the filming process, Ariana Grande said, “I will never forget my year with my Glinda.” 

The most major change that surprised fans of the Broadway musical is its split into two movies. Chu released a statement explaining that he tried to condense the musical into one film, but he ultimately felt that they were cutting out so much that it did not feel true to the original show, inspiring the decision to split the story into multiple films. Cynthia Erivo also supported this choice by saying, “What’s wonderful about the show is that you get an insight into why this woman becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, but you only have three hours to do it in. With us, you have two movies.”

Another major point of interest in the movie “Wicked” is the score. Erivo mentioned a few changes in the movie from the original musical, including the addition of four songs to the movie, resulting in more excitement surrounding the movie. One of the new songs in the movie was cut from the original Broadway show, while three others are completely new and were created to enhance the movie. Grande, other than being an actress, is also famous for her musical career, which creates even further buzz around the movie’s release. Erivo mentioned on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” that her and Grande’s voices “are very, very different. But when [they] sing together, it just works… [they] sort of find each other.” Grande also had good things to say about singing in “Wicked,” mentioning how it made her feel like “more of a singer,” showing how Grande and Erivo grew together as singers during the making of the film.

The “Wicked” movie has not only gotten a stamp of approval from the public, but also from some of the cast of the original Broadway musical. Kristin Chenoweth, the original Glinda on Broadway, commented on Instagram supporting Grande by saying that she will be the “best Glinda” and that she is “destined for this role.” Similarly, Idina Menzel, who was cast alongside Chenoweth as Elphaba, took to social media to congratulate Erivo and Grande, saying, “May it change your lives for the better forever and ever as it has for us. So much love.” Overall, “Wicked” (2024) is an exciting new spin on a highly-acclaimed classic musical.