Ahead of the release of the musical adaptation of Stephen Schwartz’s hit Broadway musical, director Jon M. Chu claims that the film version is more intimate. The original story of the musical is based on Gregory Maguire’s novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. The movie adaptation is one of this year’s highly anticipated films due to its star-studded cast!
Wicked director spills beans on the film
The Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo starrer musical is headed for its big theatrical release in November. Apart from the actresses constantly channeling their characters on red carpets and, most recently, the Olympic Games, the director is spilling beans to create more hype!
In an interview with PEOPLE, Jon M. Chu claimed that the film takes the source material to another level. “We got deep. We got deep in there,” he teased.
“I mean, Elphaba (Erivo) has a lot of wounds, but so does Glinda (Grande), and we found all those with these two girls who really gave it the truth beyond the songs that we know,” he added.
The director, known for his work on Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights, also teased the theatrical production and praised the composer’s “prophetic” and “layered” work. M. Chu explained the difference between Broadway and film production, saying that the audiences will get to experience an intimate version of the characters.
“We get the camera two inches from their face, so we can see when they’re lying, when they’re not, or when they’re lying to themselves. And that brings a lot of power,” he added.
What is the Wicked movie all about?
The story revolves around the young witch Elphaba, an anomaly who is often teased by her peers for her green skin tone. She meets Glinda, another young witch, but she’s the most popular one at their university. An unlikely friendship forms between the duo, and they head for an adventure of a lifetime!
The Positions singer curated a virtual Q&A session with the film’s director and his co-author, Jeremy McCarter, where M. Chu gushed about his bond with Grande. He revealed that ahead of the session, the singer sent him a document with his questions.
“She doesn’t need to do that. She gets paid so much money to do this for other people, but the fact that she did it for me means a lot. That’s how close we are,” he said. Chu also acknowledged his other collaborators, Erivo, Awkwafina, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. “Everyone’s been, like, so helpful,” he added.
