Universal's WICKED Films - News & Discussion Thread- Page 44

[MagicalMusical]

Posted: 6/6/23 at 10:30am

I have to admit, when I heard the guy who did Hamiltion's csotumes was doing this, I was worried. Those costumes were not only for the stage, but were so simple. They were good, but simple. But after seeing a lot of the leaked photos, God, he's perfect! And the production design, damn!

[Globefan]

Posted: 6/9/23 at 5:23pm

https://www.instagram.com/p/CtSKjp1Agw_/

Cynthia Erivo just filmed I'm Not That Girl 

Updated On: 6/9/23 at 05:23 PM

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 6/9/23 at 6:52pm

And Part Two is subtitled “For Good.” That’s new info, right?

[Globefan]

Posted: 6/9/23 at 9:17pm

TaffyDavenport said: "And Part Two is subtitled “For Good.” That’s new info, right?"

Jon Chu said it's a placeholder subtitle 

[Tag]

Posted: 6/19/23 at 10:51pm

Bowen Yang confirmed on WWHL that Dillamond is a puppet and that the voice actor hasn't been cast yet.

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 6/19/23 at 10:59pm

Tag said: "Bowen Yang confirmed on WWHL that Dillamond is a puppet and that the voice actor hasn't been cast yet."

The practical effects and sets and now puppets… I’m so excited. (But let’s see what the puppet looks like, too, of course. lol.)

[BwayLB]

Posted: 6/19/23 at 11:48pm

I'm betting the flying monkeys will be puppets too. I don't mean to sound hastily though

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 6/20/23 at 12:17pm

Updated release

Wicked Part One: Nov 27th 2024

Wicked Part Two: Nov 26 2025

Updated On: 6/20/23 at 12:17 PM

[Rentaholic2]

Posted: 6/20/23 at 12:42pm

Tag said: "Bowen Yang confirmed on WWHL that Dillamond is a puppet and that the voice actor hasn't been cast yet."

[Plannietink08]

Posted: 6/20/23 at 1:20pm

Tag said: "Bowen Yang confirmed on WWHL that Dillamond is a puppet and that the voice actor hasn't been cast yet."

I think he means they're using a puppet as a stand-in to act opposite which will be CGI'd in later. The real piece of information is that he said "they're gonna cast HER later" despite Dillamond being traditionally a male. Gives fuel to the rumours that Idina is playing Dillamond.

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 6/20/23 at 1:22pm

If I were Idina Menzel, I think I'd prefer my association with WICKED to be left at being the original creator of the leading role of Elphaba rather than as a CGI supporting goat in the movie.

[WldKingdomHM]

Posted: 6/20/23 at 1:25pm

Plannietink08 said: "Tag said: "Bowen Yang confirmed on WWHL that Dillamond is a puppet and that the voice actor hasn't been cast yet."

I think he means they're using a puppet as a stand-in to act opposite which will be CGI'd in later. The real piece of information is that he said "they're gonna cast HER later" despite Dillamond being traditionally a male. Gives fuel to the rumours that Idina is playing Dillamond."

My partner uses she or her all the time to talk about his guy friends …it could be anything really 

[Plannietink08]

Posted: 6/20/23 at 1:38pm

QueenAlice said: "If I were Idina Menzel, I think I'd prefer my association with WICKED to be left at being the original creator of the leading role of Elphaba rather than as a CGI supporting goat in the movie."

Completely agree. I hope to the highest heavens it isn’t Idina for exactly the reason you’ve described.

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 6/20/23 at 1:40pm

I will also add that having Idina Menzel play a significant role in the film ultimately would be a press distraction, especially against Cynthia Erivo and her performance. How many press junkets would they have to sit through where Idina is asked what she thinks of Cynthia taking on her role, or of Cynthia, how she felt appearing opposite Irina Menzel, whose big shoes she has to fill.

Not worth it.

Let Idina and Kristin do small cameos in "One Short Day" and leave it at that. 

[Playbill_Trash]

Posted: 6/20/23 at 3:32pm

For John Chu to say there’s no way to continue the movie after something as epic as defying gravity, and that’s why it’s in 2 parts, he is proving he doesn’t know what he’s doing directing a musical. Movie musicals have successfully sustained momentum after epic Act 1 finales for literal decades, from Funny Girl to Dreamgirls. This show is not so special that it deserves anything different. This is subtraction by addition.

Hairspray movie comes out in 2007: “I heard they made some edits and It Takes Two and Cooties got cut for time”

Wicked movie comes out in 2024: “…so I guess we’re getting an unplugged acoustic version of something bad happening in Oz??”

[QueenTwinnied]

Posted: 6/20/23 at 10:43pm

You’re making a lot of assumptions based on literally zero factual basis 

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 6/21/23 at 12:40pm

Playbill_Trash said: "For John Chu to say there’s no way to continue the movie after something as epic as defying gravity, and that’s why it’s in 2 parts, he is proving he doesn’t know what he’s doing directing a musical. Movie musicals have successfully sustained momentum after epic Act 1 finales for literal decades, from Funny Girl to Dreamgirls. This show is not so special that it deserves anything different. This is subtraction by addition.

Hairspray movie comes out in 2007: “I heard they made some edits and It Takes Two and Cooties got cut for time”

Wicked movie comes out in 2024: “…so I guess we’re getting an unplugged acoustic version of something bad happening in Oz??”"

Yeah, the director of one of the most critically acclaimed movie musicals of the last two decades, sitting at a 94% on review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes, has no idea how to direct a movie musical, and is totally out of his depth.

 

[NOWaWarning]

Posted: 6/21/23 at 1:59pm

Playbill_Trash said: "For John Chu to say there’s no way to continue the movie after something as epic as defying gravity, and that’s why it’s in 2 parts, he is proving he doesn’t know what he’s doing directing a musical. Movie musicals have successfully sustained momentum after epic Act 1 finales for literal decades, from Funny Girl to Dreamgirls. This show is not so special that it deserves anything different. This is subtraction by addition."

To be fair, I think that’s likely him just putting a positive spin on what was almost certainly a studio mandate. It’s not like he can outright say, “Universal wanted to stretch it into two movies so they could squeeze this IP for all it’s worth, but we’re making the best of it!”

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 6/21/23 at 2:10pm

Although Stephen Schwartz mentioned in a separate interview that they at first kept trying to make it one movie, but they kept finding that they had to cut things they didn't want to cut. There were some areas they wanted to delve into the movie that they were able to do for various reasons in the stage version. They even discussed doing the film with an old-fashioned intermission like long movies back in the day. But ultimately, as they were working on it, they realized they had enough material for two movies.

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 6/21/23 at 5:35pm

They could just be honest and say they're pulling more from the book than just saying "We want to delve into things more" because Wicked as it is just bigger and more tedious story telling to what in the end is going to be a minimum of a 4 hour runtime does not sound to me like a good time. Just annoying.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 6/21/23 at 6:06pm

Obviously it’s a wait and see situation, but they veered so hard away from the adult aspect of the novel for the musical that it’s hard to see how they are going to pull elements back in without it being a constant tonal shift between the score as we know it and the original elements from the novel. 
Like:

Dancing through life

Let’s f*** that Tiger

In front of a crowd

[Globefan]

Posted: 6/21/23 at 6:18pm

As post production progresses, maybe they'll change the structure of the film and go with an intermission. 

[BwayLB]

Posted: 6/21/23 at 7:00pm

^ As cool as it would be, I’m not holding my breath for an intermission.

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 6/21/23 at 8:51pm

Globefan said: "As post production progresses, maybe they'll change the structure of the film and go with an intermission."

That is not happening. Not only would theatres be pissed as ****, but you've really got to earn even a 3 hour runtime, and most that are that long, don't.

Movies with excessively long runtime are nothing but an exercise in self indulgence, not making a better movie. 

[Plannietink08]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 7:48am

I'll be the first to admit I was vehemently against the idea of two movies.  The musical is huge but it's not THAT huge. However, from the leaks and clips that I've seen (including the CinemaCon footage) it seems like they're really going large and that they might very well justify splitting the movies. So far everything looks great so while I'm still not 100% sold I am more in favour of it than I was previously.