11 things to know about the 'Wicked' movies, from its stars to its new songs

"Wicked," an alternate telling of "The Wizard of Oz," is based on the Gregory Maguire novel "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West," published in 1995.

Eight years later, the musical adaptation was brought to Broadway starring Idina Menzel as Elphaba, Kristen Chenoweth as Glinda, Norbert Leo Butz as Fiyero, Joel Grey as the Wizard, Carole Shelley as Madame Morrible, Michelle Federer as Nessarose, Christopher Fitzgerald as Boq, and William Youmans as Doctor Dillamond. It became a global, Tony-winning sensation, and it's still on Broadway today.

In 2022, 10 years after producer Marc Platt announced plans for a movie, it was confirmed that the adaptation would finally begin filming.

Multiple directors have been attached to "Wicked" over the years, but Chu proved to be the final choice when he was announced in February 2021.

"Most of my life I have felt out of place, weird and different. I hid behind my camera because people liked to be filmed and I could disappear. I used my short films to wow people so I could feel valued. I felt GREEN in all the ways," Chu wrote on Instagram at the time of the announcement.

"Thank you Marc Platt, [composer] Stephen [Schwartz], [cowriter] Winnie [Holzman] and Universal Pictures for trusting in me to translate this incredible story for all the fans and future fans of Elphaba and Glinda. I will protect this vigorously and hopefully bring a few new surprises along the way," he continued.

Chu has directed multiple hits, including "In the Heights," "Crazy Rich Asians," "Step Up 2: The Streets," and "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never," among others.

In April 2022, Chu tweeted a long statement explaining why there was a need for a two-part "Wicked" adaptation.

"Here's what happened: as we prepared this production over the last year, it became increasingly clear that it would be impossible to wrestle the story of 'Wicked' into a single film without doing some real damage to it," he wrote.

"So we decided to give ourselves a bigger canvas and make not just one 'Wicked' movie but TWO!!!!" Chu continued. As a whole, fans were a bit skeptical.

Stephen Schwartz, who wrote the music and lyrics for the musical, explained why he thinks "Wicked" needs to be a two-part movie in June 2022. "We found it very difficult to get past 'Defying Gravity' without a break," Schwartz told fan newsletter The Schwartz Scene. "That song is written specifically to bring a curtain down, and whatever scene to follow it without a break just seemed hugely anti-climactic."

"Wicked: Part One" is expected December 25, 2024, while "Part Two" will be released in 2025.

Holzman is also known for creating one-season wonder "My So-Called Life," as well as for producing "Roadies" and writing for shows like "Huge," "Once and Again," and "Thirtysomething."

Schwartz is one of the most prolific lyricists and composers of the last 50 years, providing the music and lyrics for Disney movies like "Pocahontas," "Enchanted," and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," as well as for musicals like "Godspell," "Pippin," and "Children of Eden." He also wrote the music for "The Prince of Egypt."

Schwartz has been teasing additional music since 2017, but he elaborated more during a June 2022 interview with his newsletter.

"There are two new songs in the second movie that are complete songs in themselves, and then there are new sections in some of the existing songs in both movies. All the new material, of course, is to meet the demands of the storytelling," he said.

Erivo was announced in November 2021 as Elphaba, the lead of the musical. The story follows as Elphaba, who was mysteriously born green, travels to Shiz University and is forced to room with Glinda, her polar opposite in every way. The two young women forge a strong friendship that is tested by the nefarious political climate in Oz, and their respective ambitions.

"It's really, really exciting. It's really cool. It feels like it might be the role of a lifetime," Erivo said on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in May 2022.

Erivo is no stranger to musicals, with a Tony Award under her belt for "The Color Purple," along with roles in "The Last Five Years," "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," and more.

Erivo also received a Grammy nomination for her song "Stand Up" from the film "Harriet," in which she played Harriet Tubman. She earned Oscar nominations for her performance as Tubman and for "Stand Up," as well.

Grande, who has been a very vocal "Wicked" fan for years, was announced the same day as Erivo. The "Positions" singer will be playing Glinda, the über-popular It Girl of Shiz University who is revealed to have hidden depths as her friendship with Elphaba develops.

Even though she's primarily a musician now, Grande has Broadway bona fides too. She made her Broadway debut when she was just a teenager in "13," and she played Penny in "Hairpsray Live!" in 2016. She also famously performed "The Wizard and I" at the celebration for "Wicked's" 15th anniversary.

In May 2022, Grande confirmed that we shouldn't be expecting any new music from her while she prepares for "Wicked."

"That is going to have every piece of me, every minute, every ounce of my heart, my time, my soul, my everything that I can give it," she said. "My hands are quite full with a lot of other 'thrillifying' work at the moment. I am spending all of my time with Glinda."

Just a few months after becoming one of the internet's most beloved boyfriends, Bailey was announced in September on Twitter by Chu.

"He's perfect, they're perfect. They'd be perfect together. Born to be forever….. I am too excited to pretend this hasn't been happening. We have a Fiyero!!!!" Chu tweeted, referencing Fiyero's big song, "Dancing Through Life."

Of course, Bailey is best known as Anthony Bridgerton in Netflix's smash hit "Bridgerton," which focused mainly on his character in season two. But did you know he could sing? Here he is belting "If I Never Believed in You" from "The Last Five Years."

In "Wicked," Fiyero starts off as what can only be described as a himbo prince, drawn at first to Glinda. But before long, Elphaba and her serious nature calls to him, as well.

Slater will be more well-known to theater fans than anyone else — he secured a Tony nomination and a Drama Desk Award for his performance as SpongeBob in "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical" in 2018.

Since then, he's played Broadway legend Joel Grey — who was in the original Broadway cast of "Wicked" — in "Fosse/Verdon" and appeared in Off-Broadway productions of "Asssasins" and "Camelot."

"I have something to confess-a… @ethansaslater you have been accepted to #ShizUniversity! Welcome to Oz," Chu tweeted on December 7, referencing Boq's part in "Dancing Through Life." Slater responded, "Holy shiz. I'm so freakin excited."

In the musical, Boq is a Munchkin who is carrying a torch for Glinda, though she tries to set him up with Nessarose, Elphaba's sister.

Yeoh, who worked with Chu in "Crazy Rich Asians," was announced on December 8.

"It took one [text] to convince the ICON (and dear friend) #MichelleYeoh to play our Madame Morrible in #WickedMovie. Am I the luckiest director in the world to get to work with her again?! Spoiler alert: yes I am. Welcome to Shiz," Chu tweeted.

Morrible is one of the villains of "Wicked," as she works with the Wizard to spread lies and propaganda about Elphaba throughout Oz, after Elphaba rejects them.

The same day as Yeoh's casting broke, Goldblum was also confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter to be playing the Wizard, after he was first reported to be in talks to join the cast in October.

Chu hasn't commented on Goldblum's casting yet.

Much like in "The Wizard of Oz," this Wizard isn't all he appears to be either, and he has a much deeper relationship to Elphaba than the casual "Wizard of Oz" fan might expect.