Debuting on Broadway in 2003, Wicked, based on a novel by Gregory Maguire, retells the events of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba. Now, over 20 years later, the musical has been adapted into two movies each based on a different act of the show: 2024’s Wicked and 2025’s Wicked: For Good.
Directed by Jon M. Chu, both of the films star Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, Marissa Bode, Ethan Slater, and Jeff Goldblum. Ever since the early days of Wicked’s success on Broadway, rumors of a cinematic adaptation have swirled; however, Marc Platt, producer of both the musical and the film, revealed that its journey onto the big screen actually stretched back to the Wicked book’s release in 1995.
“When I first read Gregory McGuire’s novel ‘Wicked,’ I thought ‘this needs to be a film,’” said Platt. “It’s ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ it’s a world to build, it’s a world to journey, and it felt very cinematic to me. The retelling that he imposed on the source material, ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ felt just so relevant and interesting, and a brilliant idea. And so I started a journey developing it as a film initially, and then one day the great Stephen Schwartz, a renowned composer I’d been a big fan of his since I was a kid, said ‘why not turn this into a musical?’ And I thought that’s a great idea, actually.“
The producer continued, explaining that Oz is “a world that wants to sing.” He also noted that most mainstream audiences knew 1939’s The Wizard of Oz more than the original novel and that the film’s musical numbers are a large part of its timeless appeal. Per Platt, musicals also allow the audience to get more direct insight into the character’s feelings and beliefs.
“More interestingly, we were trying to tell the story of two characters who present themselves as one way to the world they live in, but feel differently inside,” added Platt. “Much like today, kids on social media, it’s the same way. How do you present yourself, what do you feel? And in a musical, a character can sing one thing to the world that they’re in, but then turn to the audience, or the camera, and sing exactly what they’re feeling, and let us inside. And that’s the whole key to ‘Wicked.’“
Initially, Platt “left behind the idea of a film,” but then “it became a very successful stage musical around the world.” He explained that “a film seemed ripe for the journey to continue, and [his] colleagues at Universal were like ‘when’s the movie?'” Despite this, he waited because he “wanted the fan base to grow.”
Because Platt “thought [he’d] done something pretty well on stage and the bar was really high,” he hesitated to make the leap to the big screen. As a result, Platt took the time “to develop [his skills] as a film producer” and “make sure [he knew] exactly what to do.”
“I never felt like I had to make the movie, but I did want to,” Platt concluded. “And then I realized many, many years later that the whole reason I’d actually been waiting, was for Jon Chu to raise his hand and say, ‘I’d love to direct these films.‘ And that was the greatest call I ever got.“
Platt’s patience paid off in the long run; Wicked was a box office hit and For Good is already being positively received among audiences. Concluding the Wicked saga, Wicked: For Good releases in theaters on November 21, 2025.