We’re terribly sorry to break this news to everyone who’s been waiting patiently for the Wicked movie musical that was slated to open in 2021 but, due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it will no longer show next year.
According to a report by the Associated Press, the film was removed from Universal Pictures’ release calendar with the premiere of Sing 2 taking its place. Wicked was scheduled to open on December 21, 2021, but will now be postponed to an unknown date.
The movie adaptation has been pushed back countless times in the past years and it’s sad to hear that it’s going to take much longer before we finally get to see it onscreen. There has been no word about who will be cast and when they will start shooting, either. All we know is that Stephen Daldry, who is behind Oscar-nominated dramas The Hours, The Reader, and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, is already attached to direct it.
Wicked is based on the Gregory Maguire book of the same name, and tells the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, a lonely witch left out of groups because of her green skin, and Glinda, a popular witch. Elphaba is disillusioned by the corrupt government of the Wizard, and she goes on a quest to stand up against evil. Wicked is set before L. Frank Baum’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and is supposed to be the “origin story” of the Wicked Witch of the West.
It was adapted to the stage in 2003, directed by Joe Mantello with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz.
The original run starred Menzel and Chenoweth, and won seven Drama Desk Awards, three Tonys, and one Grammy. After 13 years, it is now the 10th longest-running Broadway show of all time.
(ALSO READ: LOOK: Wicked, RENT, and More Broadway Shows Are Being Streamed For FREE)
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