Two months ago, it was announced that the movie version of the hit Broadway musical Wicked would be split into two parts. This made many people respond with questioning why that was necessary. I have seen the musical onstage many times, and I never thought it was extremely long or would need several hours to tell, but now we have a bit more insight into the reason why this decision was made.
In a recent statement written for the fan newsletter The Schwartz Scene, the show’s songwriter, Stephen Schwartz, explained the main reason for the split, which is because of how it was written, namely because of the end of Act I:
“We found it very difficult to get past ‘Defying Gravity’ without a break. That song is written specifically to bring a curtain down, and whatever scene to follow it without a break just seemed hugely anti-climactic.”
He went on to add:
“The truth is we tried for some time to make it one movie, even if it had to be one very long movie. But we kept running into two problems. The first is that even as a very long single movie, it required us cutting or omitting things that we wanted to include and that we think fans of the show and the story will appreciate. So, for these two reasons, plus the excitement of doing something that’s never been done before with a musical, we have decided to do two movies. Of course, when it’s all done, if it doesn’t work that way, we’ll have to figure something out. But we strongly believe that this is what’s best for our story, our show, and our fans.”
That does make sense. The song “Defying Gravity” is the biggest song in the show, and it always does feel natural to take a break before diving back in to story. I am excited for the movies, and I can’t wait to see how they turn out.
The films will be directed by Jon M. Chu, and they are set to star Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda. The two films will be released on Dec. 25, 2024, and Dec. 25, 2025.
via: Variety