The movie adaptation of Broadway’s popular “Wicked” is conjuring up an earlier release date, director Jon M. Chu announced Tuesday.
Part one of the two-part musical project starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo will now premiere Nov. 27, 2024 — about a month earlier than previously scheduled.
“We are deep into production on WICKED and everyday we get more and more excited to share with you the mischief we’ve been up to,” Chu tweeted. “So… we’ve decided to get it to you all a little earlier than planned.”
Part two remains on track to premiere Dec. 25, 2025. Erivo — a Tony, Grammy and Emmy winner for “The Color Purple” — is set to play the wicked witch Elphaba, while pop star Grande portrays Glinda the Good Witch.
Idina Menzel originated the role of Elphaba on Broadway, while Kristin Chenoweth originated Glinda. In 2004, Menzel won the Tony Award for best actress in a musical, a category in which Chenoweth was also nominated. The show is known for songs such as “Popular” and “Defying Gravity.”
Chu, who previously directed “Crazy Rich Asians” and the film version of “In the Heights,” announced the decision to split “Wicked” into two movies last April.
“As we prepared this production over the last year, it became increasingly clear that it would be impossible to wrestle the story of WICKED into a single film without doing some real damage to it,” Chu tweeted at the time.
“As we tried to cut songs or trim characters, those decisions began to feel like fatal compromises to the source material that has entertained us all for so many years.”
The 29-year-old Grande, whose hit songs include “No Tears Left to Cry” and “Dangerous Woman,” previously starred on the Nickelodeon series “Victorious” and “Sam & Cat.” She also had a supporting role in Netflix’s 2021 climate change satire “Don’t Look Up.”