This has never been done before (turning a stage show into an animated film)
Rodgers & Hammerstein's THE KING and I was the basis for a 1999 animated film.
REALLY ROSIE, an off-broadway show featuring music and lyrics by Carole King was also adapted into an animated television special.
YOU'RE A GOOD MAN CHARLIE BROWN was also adapted into an animated film.
And for those of you who continuously post "This isn't happening": We know it isn't really happening. Those sketches and story boards are fantastic and one can't help to think that a WICKED animated film could work if Universal decided to go that route.
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/18/12
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/8/12
"Disney or not, I think an animated movie is the best way forward for Wicked as a movie"
I agree animation seems to be the best way to go. It would be next to impossible to find movie stars young enough and with big enough box office draw to play the leads in what will undoubtedly be a huge budget movie (animation or live action) unless you want to see Miley Cyrus (Galinda) and Adele (Elphaba) in the leads.
And before you start with "it doesn't need movie stars -- the brand will sell itself" think about how well the "brands" of "The Phantom of the Opera", "Rent", "Hair", "A Chorus Line" sold and the upcoming "Jersey Boys" will probably suffer the same fate.
Updated On: 12/9/13 at 05:02 PM
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/8/12
If you factor in a budget of $200 million plus, Universal may want to share the cost and risk with Disney.
Swing Joined: 12/10/13
The only way any good movie could come is if Universal teamed up with Warner Bros. We saw how Oz, the great and powerful couldn't use any iconic images from the 1939 film. Wicked could happen and be well made, but casting and the director have to be on pointe. Wicked has a huge fan base much like POTO, Les Mis or RENT. A director must please the fan base of a movie musical if he wants any form of success. I say Elaine Paige as Morrible.
Swing Joined: 12/31/69
Though those three musicals were made into animated adaptions, two were short TV specials and one was a less than faithful dud.
This would in fact be the first large scale, faithful animated adaption of a major musical, assuming they went for the full thing and didn't condense it to 90 minutes.
To date Wicked has brought Universal more profit then any of their hit movies have. And it is continuing with 10 companies World Wide. I doubt they will want to share that with Disney and will end up shouldering to cost of the movie themselves. If done right it will be a film for the ages.
good grief, I would scream and claw my face if this happened.
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/23/11
"And before you start with "it doesn't need movie stars -- the brand will sell itself" think about how well the "brands" of "The Phantom of the Opera", "Rent", "Hair", "A Chorus Line" sold and the upcoming "Jersey Boys" will probably suffer the same fate."
Neither the names of actors or the brands will sell the film eventually.
All the film needs is astounding singers for the material, and then the film will sell itself. It's a musical. It's the only way to make it work.
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