The long-gestating screen version of the Wicked musical has landed Jon M Chu as director – more details here.
Had things gone with the original plan, we’d have seen the big screen take on the musical Wicked by now. The film originally was due out last Christmas, then it was delayed to the end of this year. Then its release date disappeared altogether. Back in 2019, we had a chat with the creator of the musical, Stephen Schwartz, and he had told us then that planned release dates were unlikely to be hit. And that was before Covid hit.
Still, Universal has kept the project active, even as it’s had to contend with continuing delays. Delays in fact that cost the movie its original director. Stephen Daldry was set to helm the film, but scheduling problems led to him departing last autumn. That was the first sign in a while that Universal was ready to press ahead with production.
Now, Jon M Chu has been announced as the new helmer of the movie. He’s actually already got a film adaptation of a musical incoming, with his take on Lin Manuel Miranda’s In The Heights arriving this summer after being delayed from last. Chu has also recently directed the big hit Crazy Rich Asians, and his hiring for Wicked suggests that things may finally be getting going.
More as we hear it.
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