Jon M. Chu To Direct Universal’s ‘Wicked’ Film Adaptation

With adaptations of wildly popular broadway musicals like Dear Evan Hansen and West Side Story coming this year, fans wondered what other hits would get the big-screen treatment. Now, it appears Universal Pictures is moving forward with their adaptation of one of the biggest musicals of all time: Wicked. As first reported by Deadline, Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu will helm the upcoming project.

Chu is no stranger to Broadway adaptations as he directs the adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda‘s In The Heights. The filmmaker’s experience with musicals also stems from his work on 2015’s Jem and the Holograms and the live concert movie Justin Bieber: Never Say Never. Additionally, Chu’s upcoming slate is stacked with a commitment to direct Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch movie as well. Moreover, Marc Platt, who produced the original Broadway production, is on-board as the movie’s executive producer alongside Jon B. Platt and David Stone.

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Wicked is one of the most successful musicals of all time. The production serves as a retelling of the classic 1900 novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, and the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. Told from the perspective of the witches of the Land of Oz, its plot begins before and continues after Dorothy Gale arrives in Oz from Kansas. Furthermore, the plot follows Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Galinda the Good Witch, as they struggle through opposing personalities and viewpoints. Its original stars included Frozen II star Idina Menzel as Elphaba and Broadway legend Kristin Chenoweth as Galinda.

In 2016, Wicked surpassed $1 billion, joining The Phantom of the Opera and The Lion King as the only Broadway shows to do so. Additionally, the original Broadway production won three Tony Awards and seven Drama Desk Awards, and one Grammy Award.

What do you think of the news? Are you excited about the Wicked movie? Let us know your thought below!

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