Wicked
Wicked ’s reported runtime is a major green flag , signaling how the motion picture adaptation can take the nitty-gritty constituent from Broadway melodious by Stephen Schwartz and conjure up something even more magic . give the mammoth success of the stage show , word of anupcomingWickedmovie adaptationwas hardly a surprisal when report surfaced in the other 2010s . Wholly more amazingly was the subsequent update thatWickedwould be split up into two distinct parts , the first releasing in November 2024 and the continuation following a class later .
concord to a more recent update , WickedPart One ’s runtimeclocks in at a comparatively powerful two hours , 40 minutes - almost as long as theoriginal musicalWickedis based on , which survive a short five minutes more . That number is slightly north of 2012’sLes Miserablesmovie , and also beatsChicago(1h 53m),Cats(1h 50 m ) , and Steven Spielberg’sWest Side Story(2h 36 m ) . ConsideringWicked Part Onecovers , as the name imply , just 50 % of the story , that runtime is quite an attainment . From another perspective , Wicked ’s length speaks to exactly how the movie might outmatch its source textile .
Wicked’s Long Runtime Means The Movie Will Expand The Musical’s Story
Get Ready For Things You Didn’t See Onstage
The fact that one half ofWickedis reportedly longer than most musical motion-picture show adapted in their entirety highlight one thing above all else : how muchWickedwill decorate the musical ’s story . This in itself is no great jounce . Original composer Stephen Schwartz card the potential fornew songs forWicked ’s movieas early as 2016 , while producer Marc Platt excuse howWicked ’s two - movie splitwas part actuate by a desire to cut into deeper into iconic localisation such as Shiz University and the Emerald City .
IfWicked Part One ’s needle really does turn as far as two hours and 40 minute , that would indicate a huge amount of additional idea and fleshed - out plot line .
ThroughoutWicked ’s foresighted exploitation journey , the mission has ostensibly always been to adapt the musical with as few account cuts and omission as possible . Even so , one might ’ve reasonably expectedWicked Part Oneto run for two 60 minutes or less , which would afford more than enough space to conform the musical full and bear less danger of triggering dead prat in the movie theater .
The two - part release of Universal Pictures ' unholy movie makes space for a section of the fib that the musical theater does not full develop .
IfWicked Part One ’s needle really does turn as far as two hr and 40 minutes , however , that would indicate a Brobdingnagian amount of additional idea and fleshed - out storylines - much more than the average musical - to - movie adaptation . IfWicked Part Twothen matches its predecessor for sizing , the mix big screen version ofWickedwould even be tight to double - up on the Broadway show , hold a stark idea of just how much sassy cloth to look .
Wicked Can Add More Depth To The Story & Characters Than The Musical
Wicked’s World Offers Plenty Of Room For Expansion
In - hind end spiritlessness notwithstanding , Wicked ’s surprisingly bumper runtime is really a majuscule augury for Jon M. Chu ’s adaptation . As is typically the way with musicals , Wickedon level whisks fluidly from one number to the next , transition between narrative chapter at step and letting Schwartz ’s music and lyric poem do the heavy lifting . Movies are inherently a more narrative and character reference - driven format , meaningWickedis oblige to lend more depth to the many fascinating constituent within .
The major beneficiary will beWicked ’s movie cast , and particularly the relationship between Ariana Grande ’s Glinda and Cynthia Erivo ’s Elphaba . The two head trip the light fantastic their way from enemy to best friends with startling speeding in the melodic version , essentially uprise tight over the line of a unmarried song . That operate utterly for the degree , but such fast friendship would miss soberness in a movie , amount across as artful and not force the viewer to to the full invest in the all - important Glinda - Elphaba partnership . With more time - a lot more , it seems -theWickedmovie can roleplay out Elphaba and Glinda ’s adhesion more naturally .
Elphaba and Glinda first become friends during " Dancing Through Life , " before " pop " seals their position as pal .
Wicked ’s side characters will benefit staggeringly too . Nessa , Elphaba ’s sister , is underused in the musical , but can shine more brightly across the space of a near - three - hour first half . Romance between Elphaba and Fiyero almost comes from nowhere in the musical , but can get more attention and flirty buildup in the motion-picture show . Then the various teachers of Shiz - the likes of Michelle Yeoh ’s Madame Morrible and Peter Dinklage ’s Doctor Dillamond - can evolve beyond the relatively small function they play on Broadway , sinceWicked ’s timelineoffers the chance to delve into their backstories , their troubles , and their importance toThe Wizard of Oz .
Such A Long Wicked Movie Is Still A Big Risk
Two Long Movies Would Be A Big Statement Of Intent From Wicked
The advantages of potentially stretchingWicked ’s story across more than five hours of celluloid outweigh the drawback , but drawback there sure enough are . SplittingWickedinto two movieswas already a risk in itself , because it postulate the audience to wait an entire year for a finish they ’ll belike already be very familiar with from watching the stage show . Additionally , anynovelty from seeingWicked ’s world translate in live - natural action will wear off after part one , so without the draw of " what hap next?“Wickedis swear entirely upon viewers loving the first film to make them come up back for part two .
That job is exacerbated if both role ofWickedare also very long . There is a very material risk viewer will sit through almost three hour of school - establish melodic legerdemain andThe Wizard of Ozforeshadowing , hear the iconic " Defying Gravity , " then skip the law of continuation when it get in a year later . For the more effortless theatre - leaver , two hours and 40 minutes ofWickedand a rendition of the musical ’s biggest collision could be plenty .
TurningWickedinto two long movies does , at the very least , show supreme self-confidence in the project . Jon M. Chu and the various originative thinker involved must experience so powerfully about the strength of characterization and reality - construction in their movie adaptation , they have full faith that demand for moreWickedwill get over a yr - long gap , a split loss , and even a chunky runtime .
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.
Wicked adapts the Broadway melodic into a two - part pic , follow the unlikely friendly relationship between Elphaba , deport with dark-green skin , and Glinda , a popular aristocrat , in the Land of Oz . As they pilot their contrasting path , they acquire into Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West .
