Yahoo Finance Wicked's delayed movie adaptation has had another big setback
Wicked's movie adaptation has been hit with another setback as the musical film has just lost its director.
Universal's adaptation of the hugely popular Broadway and West End musical has already experienced a number of delays, having been in development for over a decade, and now planned director Stephen Daldry has dropped out of the project due to scheduling and location issues, Deadline reports.
The studio will now be searching for a new director to replace Daldry, who has helmed a number of stage shows and movies during his career including Billy Elliot and The Hours.
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Wicked, which has not yet confirmed any casting details, has been removed from Universal's release schedule in the wake of production changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Variety, with a new release date yet to be announced.
The screenplay is due to be written by Stephen Schwartz, who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway stage show, and Winnie Holzman, who wrote the book for the musical. Marc Platt, who is a producer on the musical, will produce the film.
Wicked is based on the 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire and tells the story of what happened before Dorothy Gale arrived in Oz in The Wizard of Oz.
The script focuses on Elphaba the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch, who were once unlikely friends, and tells the story of their growth into the powerful witches they become.
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Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth led the cast in the original Broadway production, which won three Tony Awards, and subsequent casts in different productions have included Kerry Ellis, Lee Mead and Matt Willis.
The show features hit songs including 'Defying Gravity', 'For Good' and 'Popular' and the movie version is expected to feature some new songs too.
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