If you’re like us, you have November 27 circled, underlined, and set to multiple reminders in your phone to prepare for the release of Wicked.
Just in case you’re somehow unfamiliar with what we’re talking about, there’s a two-part film adaptation to the Broadway musical that brought the 1995 Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicket Witch of the West to life. The novel is considered a modern retelling of The Wizard of Oz from L. Frank Baum, which was a Judy Garland-led film released in 1939 and revolutionized color in film.
Ahead of the film’s trailer release on Wednesday, May 15, Universal Pictures posted a behind-the-scenes featurette that has seriously whet our appetites and gotten us so excited for the film’s Thanksgiving release that we’re damn near desperate for this year to be done so we can see this film.
As it is, time passes as it will, and we still have to wait. Regardless, here are five things from the featurette that have totally put us under the Wicked spell. Scroll through to the bottom to see the featurette for yourselves!
Universal Pictures/YouTube
Wicked is not a project one takes lightly under any circumstances, and the “Passion Project” featurette really highlights how much passion everyone involved in the film has for it, whether in front of or behind the camera. Director Jon M. Chu says it’s the one movie he’s always wanted to do, and both Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo look back on the first time they ever had the privilege to see the stage production for themselves. It’s clear that no one is clueless to the iconic material they have to convey, and we can’t wait to see that fully translate into the final project.
Universal Pictures/YouTube
It’s always fun to watch people’s reactions to getting cast in films, and it was no different here. Chu said when Grande came in to audition, she was “an Ari that I’d never seen before,” and that Erivo is “so raw and vulnerable, I couldn’t get her out of my head.” Both of them cried tears of joy at being cast, and Grande promised she would “take such good care of” Glinda while Erivo reflected on her gratitude for the long and hard journey to Elphaba.
Universal Pictures/YouTube
Grande mentioned that she saw the original Broadway cast of Wicked when she was 10, and prior interviews showed her wanting the role of Glinda from a young age. She also said the soundtrack is always the “thing that I listen to when I’m nervous, when I’m needing an escape, when I need comfort.” Erivo said she’d “never heard anything or seen anything like it” after she gifted herself a trip to see the show for her 25th birthday. Throughout the featurette, glimpses of what’s to come in the film show that these two were the perfect choices, and they each have a certain dedication toward their prospective roles that will make sure fans of the live show are left satisfied.
Universal Pictures/YouTube
Since this is the one movie Chu has wanted to do throughout his career, he’s had a long time to think about how he would approach it. He said he wants people to “see Wicked and experience it in a way they’ve never experienced it before.” The translation from stage to screen is delicate, and with everything mentioned above, we cannot wait to see how this adaptation brings the story to a different life.
Universal Pictures/YouTube
We’ve had sneak peeks and little glimpses of things here and there, but this little featurette gave us a serious look into how amazing this will look on the big screen. The Wizard of Oz introduced the world to the power of what color films could do, and it looks like this adaption of Wicked is about to serve in every department from special effects to costumes and back down to that little yellow brick road.
We can’t wait to see the next trailer drop on Wednesday, but in the meantime, check out this featurette below!
