Having whipped up a storm over on Broadway not to mention the critically-acclaimed book, it looks as though the Witches of Oz are finally ready to make the jump to the silver screen. With a release date tentatively pegged for 2016, producer Marc Platt offered an update on the Wicked adaptation all the while confirming that Stephen Daldry is still attached to direct the project.
Speaking to Film Divider, here’s what Platt had to say in relation to the big-screen rendition.
“Yes. But it’s not set in stone. The process of developing that movie has begun, we’re working on it, and whether it makes 2016 or not, I’m not so sure. It’s a loose goal. But the bar is very high for the creators of Wicked. Our show is still so strong everywhere, and we just set a record in both London and Edinburgh last week, and in Los Angeles, and we did on Broadway.
“Audiences enjoy that show so much that we are intending to move forward on the movie but aren’t going to do so until we’re satisfied in the material we have as a screenplay, and that the film will be every bit as satisfying as what we have on the stage.”
Speculation first began to spread when UK-based cinema chain Vue listed Wicked on their slate of upcoming releases for 2016, and while Platt remained coy on the matter, that certainly seems to be the release window that he is aiming for. It’s understood that Winnie Holzman, the novelist behind the source material, is onboard to write the script, though there’s no news in terms of casting at this early stage.
For the uninitiated, Wicked charts the coming-of-age story of Elphaba and Glinda, who would go on to become the embodiments of good and evil in the mystical land of Oz. Before all of that, though, the pair will start of as students wrestling with big dreams and a romantic interest in the form of Fiyero.
Tell us, are you eager to see the tale of Elphaba and Glinda reach the silver screen with Wicked? Let us know in the comments.