Wicked Producer Reveals His Lost Battle for a Single Film with Intermission!

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Marc Platt, producer of “Wicked,” is giving hints about the upcoming sequel’s plot and reflecting on his earlier reservations about splitting the film version of the hit Broadway play into two distinct movies.

At the annual Producers Guild of America Nominees Breakfast over the weekend, Platt was questioned about the main challenges in adapting the stage version of Wicked into a film for Universal Pictures. With Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Jon M. Chu’s movie adaptation of Wicked has received 10 Oscar nominations following its release in theaters towards the end of last year. The second part of the two-part film, titled Wicked: For Good, is scheduled for November.

As a child, I used to visit cinemas and watch films like musicals or “Lawrence of Arabia,” which had breaks in between, and I always wished for “Wicked” to have that too. However, that desire was something I couldn’t achieve. That’s what Platt shared with the audience.

Platt further detailed that he and the creative team behind the project, including Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman who worked on the Broadway version, found no parts they wanted to leave out from the stage play. In fact, there were aspects about the characters they still wished to delve deeper into. “During the stage musical, we did trim down certain elements that we wanted to expand upon,” Platt added. “For instance, who was Elphaba as a child? What were her thoughts on the Wizard? What was her deepest desire? Such questions.

The creator hinted at the topics that will be delved into with the production of Wicked: For Good, as Platt explained it will revolve around Glinda discovering true goodness. Platt drew a comparison between Glinda’s transformation and that of the late politician Robert F. Kennedy, whose development mirrored that in the 1960s following his brother John F. Kennedy’s death. Initially, RFK wasn’t a leader driven by altruistic motives, but after his brother was assassinated, he underwent a significant emotional release. This experience led him to hit rock bottom and emerge transformed on the other side.

The breakfast held at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills celebrated producers of movies nominated for the PGA’s Darryl F. Zanuck Award. Joining them on a panel discussion were Samantha Quan from ‘Anora’, Andrew Morrison from ‘The Brutalist’, Fred Berger from ‘A Complete Unknown’, Tessa Ross from ‘Conclave’, Mary Parent from ‘Dune: Part Two’, Ali Herting from ‘A Real Pain’, Philipp Trauer from ‘September 5’ and Coralie Fargeat from ‘The Substance’. Furthermore, Jacques Audiard from ‘Emilia Pérez’ contributed through pre-recorded video messages.

According to producer Morrison, his film was initially conceived as an extended three-hour extravaganza, complete with an intermission. As he explained, co-writers Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold had always planned the script with a break in mind. The idea was to foster a shared, communal experience, given that we were emerging from the COVID period and recognizing people’s longing for theater experiences and social gatherings.

Moreover, Platt and Berger reminisced about their collaboration on the 2016 musical “La La Land,” which became notorious when it was inadvertently declared as the Best Picture winner during the Oscars, only to later be corrected that “Moonlight” was the true victor. From the stage of the PGA event, Platt humorously commented, “For a brief moment, we had won an Oscar for 1 minute and 30 seconds.

The 2025 PGA Awards event, happening this coming Saturday evening, is when they’ll reveal who has won the Darryl F. Zanuck Award – an honor bestowed upon the exceptional producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures.

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2025-02-09 01:55