“Wicked” director Jon M. Chu brewed some excitement for his upcoming film by sharing first-look photos of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in character on Sunday.
One image shows Grande as Glinda the Good Witch in her trademark pink dress, while another captures Erivo as Elphaba with a black robe, witch hat and broom.
“You weren’t told the whole story,” Chu captioned posts on Instagram and Twitter. “What happens when you veer off the Yellow Brick Road? FIRST LOOK of the #WickedMovie … currently in production in Oz.”
Chu is adapting Broadway’s Tony-winning “Wicked” musical into two films, the first of which is due out November 2024 and the second scheduled for December 2025.
Known for songs such as “Popular” and “Defying Gravity,” the musical is the fourth-longest-running Broadway show ever, with nearly 7,500 performances since 2003. Like the stage show, the movies center on the witches who live in the mystical Land of Oz.
“It’s been wonderful making magic with you,” Erivo commented on Chu’s Instagram post.
The castings of Grande and Erivo — a Tony winner for “The Color Purple” — were announced in 2021. The following year, Chu said his adaptation would be split into two movies.
“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,” he tweeted last April.
Idina Menzel originated the role of Elphaba on Broadway and won a Tony for best actress. Kristin Chenoweth originated the role of Glinda and was nominated in the same category.
Chu previously directed the 2021 film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s stage musical “In the Heights,” as well the comedy “Crazy Rich Asians.”