The news of the film adaptation of one of the most loved theatrical shows in the world has been reported by Deadline (read the original news here) and comes a few months after the abandonment of production in October 2020, of Stephen Daldry, the previous director of the film. The film adaptation of Wicked will be based on the screenplay by Winnie Holzman, former author of the libretto of the theatrical musical.
The musical Wicked is based on the 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West ”(published in Italy by Sonzogno with the title Strega - Cronache dal Regno di Oz in revolt). The story written by Maguire revisits the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum and tells the untold story of the Witches of Oz, recounting the secret friendship between Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, the Good Witch. of the North.
The musical debuted on Broadway in 2003 and has since become one of the longest-running and most replicated shows in the history of modern musical theater, with productions and staging in different cities around the world.
Speaking of Wicked it is impossible not to mention the original cast of the New York production in which the main roles were played by Idina Menzel (Elphaba) and Kristin Chenoweth (Glinda).
The production of a film version of Wicked had been awaited by fans for a very long time: starting from 2004 there was talk of this project, while Universal bought the film rights of the show in 2012.
If you are a fan of the musical you will want to have the volume Wicked: The Grimmerie, a Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Hit Broadway Musical. You can find it at this link.