Culture

Wicked: Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo musical lands new release date

By Sam Damshenas

14th March 2023

Wicked: Part One will be released a month ahead of schedule.

Universal’s long-awaited adaptation of the iconic Broadway musical, directed by Jon M. Chu, has moved from 25 December 2024 to 27 November 2024 to take advantage of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

“We are deep into production on ‘Wicked’ and everyday we get more and more excited to share with u the mischief we’ve been up to,” Chu wrote on Twitter.

“So… We’ve decided to get it to you all a little earlier than planned. A little Thanksgiving treat!”

The epic musical fantasy is based on Gregory Maguire’s bestselling novel of the same name, as well as characters from L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

The latter was memorably adapted into the groundbreaking 1939 film, which starred Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale.

Set in the Land of Oz, Wicked: Part One explores how the green-skinned Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) became the Wicked Witch of the West, as well as her unlikely friendship with the sorceress Glinda (Ariana Grande).

The ensemble cast also includes Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero Tigelaar, Jeff Goldblum as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Ethan Slater as Boq, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible and Marissa Bode as Nessarose Thropp.

More stars incoming: Bowen Yang as Pfannee, Bronwyn James as ShenShen, Keala Settle as Miss Coddle, Aaron Teoh as Avaric and Colin Michael Carmichael as Professor Nikidik.

The original production of Wicked, released in 2003, starred Idina Menzel as Elphaba and Kristen Chenoweth as Glinda.

With over one billion in revenue, Wicked is currently the second highest-grossing Broadway musical of all time (behind The Lion King).

Wicked: Part Two is still scheduled to be released on 25 December 2025.