“There’s no place like home.” And while that might be true,WickeddirectorJon M. Chuis taking that famousWizard of Ozquote to a whole new level thanks to the sublime use of practical effects in this Thanksgiving’s anticipated film. The musical, which began its life as author Gregory Maguire’s book,Wicked:The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West(1995) — and later became the inspiration for the hit Broadway play— is being built from the ground up quite literally. Now Chu, along with stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, is pulling back the curtain for fans to behold Oz in a very special sneak peek.Check it out below:
Chu said while filming the behind-the-scenes video (above),Building the World of Wicked,courtesy ofWicked’sofficialXpage:
“We knew that we wanted Wicked to be immersive.‘What does it feel like to be in Oz… to feel it in your fingertips?’If you want to be inside that world, you’ve got to build it.You’ve got to build Emerald City. You’ve got to build Munchkinland.We’ve got to grow 9 million tulips."
Chu continued:
“The good news is the train, which takes two days to move because it’s 16 tons, is here now[…] All of this didn’t just take production design. It took special effects… it took visual effects.It’s pretty mind-blowing to think it can go from drawings and ideas and a dream to sitting here today."
Wicked adapts the Broadway musical into a two-part film, following the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, born with green skin, and Glinda, a popular aristocrat, in the Land of Oz. As they navigate their contrasting paths, they evolve into Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Erivo, who portrays Elphaba inWicked,said in the same BTS video:
To see all the detail… all of it adds to the things that you’re able to imagine. It’s wonderful to be able to touch the space.
The film’s own Glinda the Good Witch, Grande added, “A lot of it is real, physical, tangible sets. And [they] create this world in a way we’ve never seen it before.”
Jon M. Chu Details ‘Intimate’ Nature of Wicked, Praises Ariana Grande
Fans shouldn’t go intoWicked,which is being split into two feature films, expecting to seepop star Ari.Rather, Ariana Grande has fully immersed herself in the wonderful world of Oz. In the BTS video, Chu already showed off the film’s impressive practical design.
And it’s worth pointing out that two of the Broadway play’s Tony awards were won for Best Scenic and Best Costume Designs. Certainly, it’s a legacy to live up to, but director Jon M. Chu is also quick to point out the “intimate” nature his version ofWickedpresents compared to the staged production. Chu said in a brand-new interview withPEOPLE:
“We got deep. We got deep in there.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.Because of the camera, because it’s not a stage show, we get to go closer.We get to be more intimate.”
Chu continues:
“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 to the show that you can’t have on a stage when you have to look forward to the back of the crowd.”
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After seeing the official trailer forWicked,many fans proclaimed thatAriana Grande was “born to play this role.”And Chu has nothing but good things to say about his big-screen version of Glinda the Good Witch, who is played beautifully by Grande. Chu elaborated in the same interview:
“She was so prepared. She did such a good job.She sent me a Google Doc with my questions, and it was fun to watch her just do like, homework, and I’m so happy.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.”
Wickedator Weekend is on, Wicked Gets Earlier Release Date in Direct Competition With Gladiator 2
Wicked has avoided a direct challenge from Moana 2, but instead sets up this year’s Barbenheimer double-header.
Turkey Day is going to be quite special this year asWickedandGladiator IIwill give moviegoers a true and epic holiday feast to enjoy over Thanksgiving. Both long-awaited projects are opening up against one another onNovember 22.
