No one could have told the story of Wicked better than director Jon M. Chu, singer-actress Ariana Grande said on Tuesday ahead of the release of the fantasy musical film’s second part.
The second instalment of the film franchise, titled Wicked: For Good, is slated to hit theatres on 21 November. It will continue the story of Ariana Grande’s Glinda the Good and Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba as they come together one final time to discover that true magic lies in empathy, honesty, and friendship.
“Jon Chu is the most empathetic, intentional, brilliant and thoughtful human being with an innate understanding of the human experience. He has taken such care of Oz, and he has protected these characters and showcased the humanness in all of them. He answers the question ‘are people born wicked or do they have wickedness thrust upon them’ a handful of times for us with this film,” Grande said in a statement.
“Decisions that might seem wicked on paper become understandable because of how he frames them with an empathetic lens and takes the time to tell you where these characters are coming from, showcasing that most perpetrators once were victims themselves. His heart and character are woven through every stitch of these films. Shooting two movies at once meant constant shifts in tone and spontaneous changes to the schedule, but he never blinked. No one could have told this story better than Jon. It was absolutely his destiny to make these films,” she added.
Director Jon M. Chu reflected on what the entire emotional arc of the first film was building towards. “It was clear when we separated the two movies that Wicked: For Good needed some additional elements to fully tell the story of these two women and their struggle to come back together,” he said.
“Because now, the world is wedged between their friendship and that is a much harder mechanism to fight through than just cultural or personality differences. Now there is literal structure and government between them. Deep down, we knew that Wicked: For Good was always going to be the bigger story. The kids we fell in love with in the first film now have to grow up, and they have to make choices that will last a lifetime. This isn’t school anymore,” the 46-year-old filmmaker added.
Elphaba (Erivo), now painted as The Wicked Witch of the West, hides in the Ozian forest while fighting for the freedom of Oz’s silenced Animals and trying to expose the truth about The Wizard (Jeff Goldblum). Glinda (Grande), meanwhile, has become the glamorous symbol of Goodness, living at the palace in Emerald City under the instruction of Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh).
As Glinda prepares to marry Prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), she is haunted by her separation from Elphaba. As an angry mob rises against the Wicked Witch, Glinda and Elphaba must unite one final time.
