Fans of the stage show Wicked were overjoyed when Universal announced the fan favourite would be made into a film.
And it’s now been announced that the musical adaption will open in American cinemas on December 20 2019 – which just so happens to be around the same time as Disney’s soon-to-be-revealed live action fairy tale.
Fans seem to be pretty happy about the news too, as they took to Twitter:
Adapted from the 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, the musical has been loved by fans across the world, breaking box office records and has gone on to be one of the longest running Broadway shows.
The story offers an alternative look at The Wizard of Oz – telling the story from the witches’ point of view, giving green-tinted Wicked Witch Elphaba a misunderstood and heroic storyline.
Stephen Daldry – who directed Billy Elliot – will be working with producer Marc Platt (Into the Woods) to adapt the musical for a big screen.
There’s been no word on cast selections just yet, but fans of Broadway’s version are hoping Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel will reprise their original roles of Glinda and Elphaba. The pair both earned Tony nominations in 2004, and Wicked has earned 10 Tony Award nominations and three wins.
In April, Idina revealed whether she’d like to appear as the Wicked Witch of the West in a film adaption.
She told the audience at the Tribeca Film Festival: “I’m gonna be way too old by the time [Platt] gets it done.
“Unless he CGI’s it, and he knows how I feel about that — I really want him to do that.”
But just last month the pair got together to perform for the first time in 12 years.
Watch them reunite to sing the hit song For Good from Wicked here:
Are you excited about the film adaption?
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