The original author has weighed in onWicked. The 2024Wizard of Ozprequel movie, which was directed by Jon M. Chu and stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba (the future Wicked Witch of the West) opposite Ariana Grande-Butera as Galinda (the future Glinda the Good Witch), is based on the 2003 stage musical of the same name with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. In turn, that musical was based on theGregory Maguire novelWicked, which was originally published in 1995.
Maguire recently sat down for an interview withYahoo Entertainment. When asked about his opinion on the new movie, he said that “I hardly recognize it as my book anymore,” though he also shared that he found it to be “far better than it has any right to be.“He particularly praised the work of Cynthia Erivo, who he says maintained the core of the “sharp, opinionated, and powerful” Elphaba from the novel while also making the character “lovely,” threading that needle in a way that left him in “awe.” Read his full quote below:
It’s far better than it has any right to be. I hardly recognize it as my book anymore. [The novel’s Elphaba] is sharp and opinionated and powerful. In the film, Cynthia Erivo is also sharp, opinionated and powerful, but she’s also lovely, and that is a very interesting conundrum. I look at her performance with awe, thinking, “How could you carry it out?”
What This Means For Wicked
The Movie Is Approved By Many Key Artists
Maguire’s comments on the movie are impactful, though there is no one true author behind theWickedmovie.The long chain of adaptations does not begin with the 1995 novel, as the book was in large part inspired by the 1939 movie musicalThe Wizard of Oz, starring Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch and Billie Burke as Glinda opposite Judy Garland as Dorothy. In turn, the Victor Fleming movie was adapted from the 1900 L. Frank Baum novelThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the first of a long-running series of children’s books.
The name Elphaba comes from a phonetic pronunciation of L. Frank Baum’s initials.
However,Maguire’s comments add one more important mark of approval for the movie, as he is the last surviving person directly involved in the chain of adaptations to weigh in. Both Schwartz and Holzman have already contributed to the movie adaptation of their stage show, as Holzman co-wrote the screenplay with Dana Fox (The Lost City,How to be Single,Isn’t It Romantic) and Schwartz was involved in the production of the songs, including encouraging Cynthia Erivo to put her own stamp on the iconic riff at the end of the Act I finale song “Defying Gravity.”
Our Take On Gregory Maguire’s Wicked Comments
Cynthia Erivo’s Performance Could Be Celebrated Even More
It stands to reason that Gregory Maguire would be especially protective of theWickedcharacters, having crafted the versions of them that are shown in the musical. However, the fact that even he was impressed by Cynthia Erivo’s performancecould speak to her chances at being nominated for an Oscar for her workin the movie. This would potentially mark her third nomination, after being nominated twice for 2019’sHarriet, both for Best Actress and for Best Original Song for her the track “Stand Up,” which she co-wrote with Joshuah Brian Campbell.
Wicked
Cast
Wicked adapts the Broadway musical into a two-part film, following the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, born with green skin, and Glinda, a popular aristocrat, in the Land of Oz. As they navigate their contrasting paths, they evolve into Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
