Musical Broadway musical hit 'Wicked' to the big screen

[Hunter Rider]

http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/889/889797p1.html

Wicked Big Movie News


From book to stage to screen.


by Jim Vejvoda

US, July 15, 2008 - With Universal poised to release Mamma Mia! in theaters, the studio is ready to bring another blockbuster Broadway musical hit, Wicked, to the big screen.

The stage play (music & lyrics by Stephen Schwartz) is based on the book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, which retells L. Frank Baum's Wizard of Oz from the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda, the Good Witch of the North.

According to Variety, Marc Platt and David Stone will produce the screen adaptation for Universal, which has had the project for a decade. Winnie Holzman will script.

Universal production president Donna Langley told the trade, "Our goal now is absolutely to make the Wicked film, but much like Judy Craymer wouldn't give up screen rights to Mamma Mia! until the stage show had reached its pinnacle, Marc and Stephen Schwartz are very mindful of the right timing. But we're dying to do it."

 

[danoyse]

So I'm guessing the "right timing" will be when the ticket sales start to slow down for the show itself?

 

[cabel]

I was wondering when this was gonna get made





but I called dibs to adapt Spring Awakening

 

[JP]

First Mamma Mia! and now Wicked. With so many good broadway musicals, why can't they make a film off of something that doesn't suck?

 

[danoyse]

I liked Wicked.

 

[Harry Goblin]

I hear so many good things about Wicked, im looking forward to this

 

[Mistress Kizuna]

Fine with me, just as long as they get Idina Menzel back in. There is no better Elphaba than her!

 

[KenK]

Had to happen sooner or later.

 

[Pink Ranger]

Fine with me, just as long as they get Idina Menzel back in. There is no better Elphaba than her!

Love, love, love Idina and Cheno, but I have to disagree. On stage, you can get away with women pushing 40 (or in their 40s) to play prep school girls, but you can't get away with it on film.

The only way I can think of them getting Idina and Cheno in the film is if they change the second act to be much farther into the future, and have two young phenoms play Elphie and Glinda in the first act.

 

[Jennifer Walters]

I always knew this would happen sooner or later.

 

[PLAS]

loved the book, haven't seen the musical, but am very interested
the movie should be something to look upon

 

[JP]

Fine with me, just as long as they get Idina Menzel back in. There is no better Elphaba than her!

Probably the only reason I would see it.

 

[SapphirePrima]

Well, I haven't seen the musical but I'm interested.


The book sucked monkey balls though.

 

[hammerhedd11]

I saw it last year and it was decent. But there are so many great musicals they could do instead.

 

[terry78]

Just remake the ****ing Oz novel instead, man. There was so much left out.

 

[DarthDaveBanner]

I went hungry for a week so that I could take my girlfriend to see it on stage (2 weeks before she cheated on me - b1tch!) so theres no way I'm seeing this

 

[P.B.&Chocolate]

I gave up on this book halfway through it . I have never seen the stage adaption but I'd see the movie of it if it looked good .

 

[Infinity9999x]

I'm actually very interested in this, the musical was very good, and it has a lot of potential for a movie.

However, I think if they truly want to make a good movie, they have to strive for a middle ground between the novel and the musical. Still make it a musical, but have the emotional scenes be as heavy hitting as the ones in the novel. That book really was impressive, I've read few books that dealt with the theme of "wickness" as well as Wicked. It really gets you to question the nature of good and bad. What exactly classifies someone as "bad?"

However, the novel was also very dark, and I'd lessen some aspects of that for the movie if they still want it to be a musical.

 

[ABleedingCorpse]

I'm actually very interested in this, the musical was very good, and it has a lot of potential for a movie.

However, I think if they truly want to make a good movie, they have to strive for a middle ground between the novel and the musical. Still make it a musical, but have the emotional scenes be as heavy hitting as the ones in the novel. That book really was impressive, I've read few books that dealt with the theme of "wickness" as well as Wicked. It really gets you to question the nature of good and bad. What exactly classifies someone as "bad?"

However, the novel was also very dark, and I'd lessen some aspects of that for the movie if they still want it to be a musical.

Agree'd, the book wouldn't go over too well as a movie the way it is. Though purest will have a hissy fit over it, it just wouldn't fit to film. But to go too light as the musical verison would be dissappointing too as it wouldn't be giving the audience anything new. Certain things work one way, and then another way, but rarely do they work one way all around.

 

[Infinity9999x]

Agree'd, the book wouldn't go over too well as a movie the way it is. Though purest will have a hissy fit over it, it just wouldn't fit to film. But to go too light as the musical verison would be dissappointing too as it wouldn't be giving the audience anything new. Certain things work one way, and then another way, but rarely do they work one way all around.

I agree. I'd take certain things from the book. For example, making Glinda less of a ditz as she is in the musical, play some of the serious scenes more straight (the musical had a habit of throwing a joke in there when things got too serious.)

 

[Franklin Richards]

This is a movie about the musical not the libretto.



Great news! Defy gravity, *****es!!!

 

[That-Guy]

I've never seen this show but I've heard great things about it. From the bits of it that I have seen, I think that it could make a pretty impressive film, as long as they cast it right.

 

[Infinity9999x]

This is a movie about the musical not the libretto.



Great news! Defy gravity, *****es!!!

I know that, but I'm just saying that if they want it to be a good movie, they're going to have to make some changes to it, if it's going to work, and I don't think taking a few more ideas from the book is a bad idea. Not anything as dark as the book, but just some of the general themes and characterizations.

 

[scifiwolf]

I've heard a lot of good things about the musical, and always wanted to see it. I'm hoping the quality of this is more Sweeney Todd than Mamma Mia!

 

[Majik1387]

I've heard a lot of good things about the musical, and always wanted to see it. I'm hoping the quality of this is more Sweeney Todd than Mamma Mia!

I'm sure it will be. I don't remember Mamma Mia being that great onstage when compared to other musicals.