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Last week, Jon M. Chu announced that the Wicked movie will be split into two parts. It would be impossible to do the musical justice without giving the story a bigger canvas to work with. Mixed reviews on this decision were flooding the internet. The creative team has an entire musical score and book to work with. The original book is split into five parts, therefore I think there’s enough content to make two successful movies.
Act I
Act I of the musical gives a condensed version of Elphaba’s background. In a fleeting montage, Galinda reveals to the audience that Elphaba’s mother had an affair while her husband was away. This man gives her a magical elixir which results in Elphaba being born with green skin. Time fast forwards and Elphaba heads off to college with her sister, Nessarose. The book takes a deeper route into Elphaba’s childhood, perhaps the movie will too.
The two movie split also gives room for “Popular” to be done on a larger scale. As one of the most iconic numbers in the show, it has the capacity to be something huge. Imagine clothes flying everywhere, quick change montages, and a classic before and after makeover.
I can’t leave Act I without mentioning “Defying Gravity.” Many argue that this song is the iconic 11 o’clock number in the show. It’s unclear whether or not the movie will take that same route, but I think it would be pretty interesting to see. Ending the first movie as Elphaba’s begins her path to wickedness could set up the second movie to be much darker than the first.
Act II
The second act is comparable to the final three parts of the book. For time constraint reasons, a lot of Fiyero’s story is cut short in the musical. Being that his character played such a crucial role as the first romantic love in Elphaba’s life, expanding on his story would ultimately enrich Elphaba’s.
“As Long As You’re Mine” and “No Good Deed” are my two favorite songs in the show. I think they’re the most powerful when it come to Elphaba’s character development. For her entire life, she has been second to her sister and ridiculed by her peers. Finding love in Fiyero and wanting to be good for him and her future is a new discovery for her. In her case, Elphaba’s good deeds come with a price. She rushes her spells, and the consequences hurt the ones she cares for the most. The toll this takes on her solidifies her demise down a wicked path. It’s at this point where she begins to accept her fate as the character we love to hate and hate to love; the Wicked Witch of the West.
Breaking larger works of text and song into two parts is not something new. Franchises like Harry Potter, Twilight and The Hunger Games have done it, bhis would be the first time a movie musical has taken on this task. I understand the hesitation, but I truly believe this is going to be great for the story.
What are your thoughts on this split? Do you think that both movies are going to be a blockbuster success like previous movie musicals have been?
This article was edited by Francesca Aloe.