Wicked (2024 film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wicked (2024 film) |
|
|---|---|
_poster.png)
Theatrical release poster
|
|
| Directed by | Jon M. Chu |
| Produced by |
|
| Screenplay by |
|
| Starring | |
| Music by |
|
| Cinematography | Alice Brooks |
| Editing by | Myron Kerstein |
| Studio |
|
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | November 3, 2024 (State Theatre) November 22, 2024 (United States) |
| Running time | 160 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $150 million |
| Money made | $729.1 million |
Wicked (titled onscreen as Wicked: Part I) is a 2024 American musical fantasy film directed by Jon M. Chu and written by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox. It adapts the first act of the 2003 stage musical by Stephen Schwartz and Holzman, which was loosely based on Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel, itself a reimagining of the Oz books and the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.
The film stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba Thropp and Ariana Grande as Galinda Upland, with Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum in supporting roles. Set in the Land of Oz, before Dorothy Gale's arrival from Kansas, its plot follows Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West, and her friendship with her classmate Galinda, who becomes Glinda the Good.
Universal Pictures and Marc Platt, who both produced the stage musical, announced the adaptation in 2012. After a long development and multiple delays, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chu was hired to direct, with Erivo and Grande cast in 2021. The adaptation was split into two parts to avoid cutting plot points and expand the characters' journeys and relationships. Principal photography began in England in December 2022, was interrupted in July 2023 by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, and resumed and concluded in January 2024.
Wicked premiered at the State Theatre in Sydney, Australia, on November 3, 2024, and was theatrically released in the United States on November 22. It received positive reviews, became a pop culture phenomenon, was named one of the best films of 2024 by the American Film Institute, and won Best Film at the National Board of Review. Among other accolades, it received ten nominations at the 97th Academy Awards (including Best Picture) and won Best Costume Design and Best Production Design. It has grossed $729 million worldwide on a $150 million budget, becoming the highest-grossing Oz film, the highest-grossing musical film adaptation and the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2024. The sequel, Wicked: For Good, is scheduled for release on November 21, 2025.
Cast
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
_2.jpg)
- Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba Thropp, a misunderstood young woman born with green skin who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West
- Karis Musongole as young Elphaba
- Ariana Grande as Galinda "Glinda" Upland, a popular young woman who becomes Glinda the Good
- Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero Tigelaar, a prince from Winkie Country who meets Elphaba and Galinda at school
- Ethan Slater as Boq Woodsman, a Munchkin in love with Galinda
- Bowen Yang as Pfannee, one of Glinda's college friends
- Peter Dinklage as the voice of Dr. Dillamond, a talking goat and history professor at Shiz University that befriends Elphaba
- Luisa Guerreiro was the movement artist for Dr. Dillamond
- Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, the Dean of Sorcery at Shiz University
- Jeff Goldblum as the Wonderful Wizard of Oz
- Marissa Bode as Nessarose Thropp, Elphaba's paraplegic younger sister
- Cesily Collette Taylor as young Nessarose
- Bronwyn James as Shenshen, one of Galinda's college friends
- Andy Nyman as Governor Thropp, Elphaba and Nessarose's father and the Governor of Munchkinland
- Courtney-Mae Briggs as Mrs. Thropp, Elphaba and Nessarose's mother, who died after giving birth to Nessarose
- Keala Settle as Miss Coddle, the headmistress of Shiz University
- Aaron Teoh as Avaric, Fiyero's friend
- Sharon D. Clarke as the voice of Dulcibear, a talking bear who helps deliver Elphaba during her birth and acts as a nanny to the Thropp family
- Madeline Wilson was the movement artist for Dulcibear
- Jenna Boyd as the voice of Wolf Doctor, who helps deliver Elphaba during her birth
- Sarah Mardel was the movement artist for Wolf Doctor
- Colin Michael Carmichael as Professor Nikidik, a professor at Shiz University
Additionally, the Cowardly Lion makes an appearance as a cub. Dorothy Gale, a Kansas farm girl who is transported to the Land of Oz by a tornado with her dog Toto, is featured alongside the Scarecrow, Tin Man and an adult version of the Cowardly Lion in a brief cameo early in the film. Robin Guiver performs the role of Chistery, the leader of the Wizard's monkey army and Elphaba's favorite winged monkey. Stephen Stanton voices Fiyero's Horse.
Multiple cameos take place during the "One Short Day" sequence. Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, who originated the roles of Elphaba and Glinda in the stage musical, portray the leading members of the Emerald City Players. Former Fiyero replacement Michael McCorry Rose appears as the Wiz-O-Mania Narrator. Book writer and screenwriter Winnie Holzman exclaims, "He can read it [the Grimmerie]! He must be a Wizard!" in a cameo during Wiz-O-Mania, and composer Stephen Schwartz cameos as the Emerald City Guard, who announces to Elphaba and Galinda that "the wizard will see you now". Adam James and Alice Fearn appear briefly as Galinda's parents, nicknamed "Popsicle" and "Momsie" by Galinda. Shaun Prendergast appears as Shiz President and Cherida Strallen as the Shiz Librarian.
Accolades
Wicked received several awards and nominations. It made history as the first fantasy film to win Best Film at the National Board of Review, and the first musical film to win since Moulin Rouge! (2001). It additionally was named one of the top 10 films of 2024 by the American Film Institute.
At the 82nd Golden Globe Awards, Wicked won Cinematic and Box Office Achievement and received nominations for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Cynthia Erivo), and Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture (Ariana Grande). It tied with Conclave for a leading 11 nominations at the 30th Critics' Choice Awards, and won three: Best Director (Jon M. Chu), Best Production Design (Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales), and Best Costume Design (Paul Tazewell). It led the 31st Screen Actors Guild Awards with five total nominations, including Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role (Jonathan Bailey), Outstanding Performance by a Cast, and Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble. The film also tied with multiple other films to make it the most nominated film in the ceremony's history.
At the 97th Academy Awards, the film tied with The Brutalist for the second-most-nominated film with ten total, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Erivo, and Best Supporting Actress for Grande. It ultimately won Best Costume Design for Tazewell (who became the first African American male costume designer to win the category) and Best Production Design for Crowley and Sandales.
Sequel
The sequel, Wicked: For Good, which will cover the events of the musical's second act, is scheduled for release on November 21, 2025. In November 2024, Schwartz and Holzman said they were discussing possible future projects to expand the Wicked film universe, but did not want to use the titles Part Three or Part Four.
See also
- Adaptations of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
- List of films produced back-to-back
- List of films split into multiple parts
