John M. Chu has teased Wicked: For Good has “extra meat” and “a few surprises” for the audience.
Jon M. Chu has teased Wicked: For Good has “extra meat”.
The 45-year-old director has praised Cynthia Erivo, 38, and Ariana Grande, 32, for their portrayals of Elphaba and Glinda respectively and is “excited” to “complete” the story for fans when the second part of the story reaches cinemas next month.
He told People: “[I hope fans] get the joy and love of movie one, but there’s extra meat on this one.
“This is where you get to see Cynthia and Ariana really come to life as actors.
“This is their adult selves looking back at their childhood dreams, that are now shattered in front of them. So when you look back, I think people will see only both movies as one, not just the first movie and the second movie.
“I’m excited to complete the story for people.”
And Jon revealed audiences can expect some shocks.
He said: “I hope they get a few surprises that they’re not thinking about right now.”
The director can see himself reflected in both the movie’s lead characters and thinks he won’t be the only one.
He said: “I think we’re all a little bit Elphaba, but a little bit Glinda.
“I think that’s the point of the movie — that we struggle.
“No one’s wicked and no one’s good. We’re all just a little bit in between, and we are the average of what we choose every day to be.
“Now you’re going to get me in trouble, because those girls watch these things and they know what I’m saying.”
The Crazy Rich Asians director previously teased Wicked: For Good would be more mature in tone than the first film, and would feature a deeper story that will get the waterworks going in cinemas.
Speaking on Variety’s Awards Circuit Podcast, he said: “It’s the moment where everything we’ve set up – the friendship, the heartbreak, the magic – comes crashing together.
“When you get to that last song, when they sing For Good, it’s going to hit like a freight train. I’ve lived with this story for five years, and I still cry every time.”
Although Chu admitted he was initially nervous to tackle the beloved Broadway musical, the In The Heights director insisted fear was part of the job.
He said: “If you’re not going to take a giant swing, what are you doing here?
“This is why I fell in love with movies. Watching E.T. or Batman or Jaws, where we all gather and experience something bigger than ourselves.”
Wicked – which was based on the first half of the Broadway musical of the same name – introduced Elphaba and Glinda as they formed an unlikely friendship at Shiz University, before travelling to the Emerald City to meet the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) – only to discover the Wizard was hiding a sinister secret.
Wicked: For Good will pick up after the events of the first film, and follow Elphaba and Glinda as they are pushed to their limits when Glinda is forced to choose between their friendship and the Wizard of Oz.
The film will also star Jonathan Bailey as Prince Fiyero, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Ethan Slater as Boq and Colman Domingo as the Cowardly Lion.
Jon M. Chu teases ‘extra meat’ in Wicked: For Good
