Jeff Goldblum is reportedly set to make his musical film debut as part of the ensemble cast of the big screen adaptation of Wicked.
marvel studios
The big-screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Wicked has been stalled for a long time, but now it’s moving faster than a tornado. While the two-part film is set to be directed by Jon M. Chu, fresh off his work on In the Heights, and helmed by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, it looks like Hollywood royalty is about to star. embark on the project in the form of Jeff Goldblum. According to Variety, the Jurassic World: Dominion star is in final talks to take on the role of the wizard in the film.
While the wizard is a clumsy fool in the original Wizard of Oz story, in Wicked he is turned into the story’s villain. A suave and enigmatic figure, the wizard’s intentions soon prove devious and wicked, and change could very well be down the street from Goldblum. Although he’s much better known for his protagonist roles in movies like Independence Day and Jurassic Park, he’s played darker characters like Seth Brundle in The Fly and the jovial villain of the Grandmaster in Thor: Ragnarok.
The news of Goldblum joining the cast has yet to be officially confirmed by the studio or the director, it seems like a pretty sure thing and a solid choice for the role. Although Goldblum isn’t the first star to be mentioned in connection with the role of Fiyero aka the Wizard, with Bridgerton’s Jonathan Bailey previously in the frame, it seems things have now moved more in Goldblum’s favor and will see the star take on his first musical film role.
Defying gravity is the main reason Wicked will be in two parts
Wicked the Musical YouTube
Going from studio to studio, passing through numerous directors and writers, the recent surge in musicals has made this the perfect time for Wicked to finally make its mark in theaters. While the films will expand on the show with new songs and a more detailed story taken from the novel, in a previous interview, songwriter Stephen Schwartz broke down the thought process behind the two films’ approach. He said:
“The truth is, we tried for a while to make a movie out of it, even though it was going to be a really long movie. But we continued to encounter two problems. The first is that even as a very long single film, it required us to cut or omit things that we wanted to include that we think fans of the series and the story will appreciate. Second, we found it very difficult to get through “Defying Gravity” without pausing. This song is written specifically to bring down a curtain, and regardless of the uninterrupted scene, it felt extremely anti-climactic. So for those two reasons, plus the excitement of doing something that’s never been done before with a musical, we decided to do two movies. Of course, when it’s all done, if it doesn’t work out like that, we’ll have to find something. But we firmly believe it’s best for our story, our show, and our fans.
Wicked will hit theaters in two parts in December 2024 and December 2025.