Director Jon M. Chu is working with the best singers in the world — Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo for the big-screen adaptation of Wicked — he says in a new featurette for the upcoming movie musical.
In the video, Chu reflects on watching the cast sing live.
“We weren’t sure how much we were going to do live or not, but they are the best singers in the world and so every scene they have been singing live,” Chu shares in the video.
In the prequel to The Wizard of Oz, Grammy and Tony winner Erivo stars as Elphaba, a witch who is ostracized for her green skin and has yet to discover her true power.
Grande plays Glinda, a popular young woman who has yet to discover her true heart.
Related: Ariana Grande Sheds Tears Over Role of a Lifetime in ‘Wicked’
“We chose to sing live because it meant that we would be further connected to the words we were saying and to each other,” Erivo explains.
“It was an immediate no-brainer for Cynthia and I — we both were like, ‘Well of course, we are singing live,’” Grande adds.
The two-part film follows Glinda and Elphaba as students at Shiz University in the Land of Oz and how their lives and friendship change after an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Per the official synopsis from Universal: “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.”
“So what we managed to do is immerse the audience because effectively our movie set is also a recording studio,” Chu reveals. “So that raw and real emotion that we are recording on set right now will be what you hear and experience in the theater.
“I think [the] audience is going to be very surprised by what experience you’re going to get here, no one has ever seen this powerhouse like this before. It was like the best concert you could ever attend and the best seats in the house,” adds Chu.
Wicked is based on the bestselling novel by Gregory Maguire and is adapted for the screen by the stage production’s book writer Winnie Holzman and by Grammy and Oscar-winning composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz.
The cast also includes Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Keala Settle, and Peter Dinklage.
The first part of Wicked will premiere on Nov. 27, 2024, while the sequel is set for a Nov. 26, 2025 debut.
Watch the featurette above and the official trailer below:
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