Eric Schwartzel

How does that one go again?

Come on. Soon enough, the show is a big Broadway hit, with Idina Menzel cast as the witch Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as Glenda. The musical's been on for 21 years, making Wicked one of Broadway's longest-running shows. It's been seen by more than 65 million people, and it's raked in more than $5 billion in ticket sales.

Come on. Soon enough, the show is a big Broadway hit, with Idina Menzel cast as the witch Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as Glenda. The musical's been on for 21 years, making Wicked one of Broadway's longest-running shows. It's been seen by more than 65 million people, and it's raked in more than $5 billion in ticket sales.

Come on. Soon enough, the show is a big Broadway hit, with Idina Menzel cast as the witch Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as Glenda. The musical's been on for 21 years, making Wicked one of Broadway's longest-running shows. It's been seen by more than 65 million people, and it's raked in more than $5 billion in ticket sales.

And it's also developed an enormous army of people like yourself who are massive, wicked fans. Tell me more about this fan base and how many are there of you? How many are?

And it's also developed an enormous army of people like yourself who are massive, wicked fans. Tell me more about this fan base and how many are there of you? How many are?

And it's also developed an enormous army of people like yourself who are massive, wicked fans. Tell me more about this fan base and how many are there of you? How many are?

If Wicked had such a loyal fan base and the Broadway show was such a huge success, why did they waste so long to make a movie?

If Wicked had such a loyal fan base and the Broadway show was such a huge success, why did they waste so long to make a movie?

If Wicked had such a loyal fan base and the Broadway show was such a huge success, why did they waste so long to make a movie?

Studio executives at Universal, which invested in the Broadway show and owned the rights to the movie, also worried about upsetting the musical's loyal fans.

Studio executives at Universal, which invested in the Broadway show and owned the rights to the movie, also worried about upsetting the musical's loyal fans.

Studio executives at Universal, which invested in the Broadway show and owned the rights to the movie, also worried about upsetting the musical's loyal fans.

So Universal took its time. It looked at different versions of scripts, fielded pitches from actresses who wanted to play the roles, and worked on getting the Broadway team to help with the movie.

So Universal took its time. It looked at different versions of scripts, fielded pitches from actresses who wanted to play the roles, and worked on getting the Broadway team to help with the movie.

So Universal took its time. It looked at different versions of scripts, fielded pitches from actresses who wanted to play the roles, and worked on getting the Broadway team to help with the movie.

Finally, studio executives felt like they'd cracked the code. But they didn't just want to make the movie. They also wanted to turn it into a massive cultural phenomenon. That's next.

Finally, studio executives felt like they'd cracked the code. But they didn't just want to make the movie. They also wanted to turn it into a massive cultural phenomenon. That's next.

Finally, studio executives felt like they'd cracked the code. But they didn't just want to make the movie. They also wanted to turn it into a massive cultural phenomenon. That's next.

Getting the right actors to play the main two witches in Wicked was a top priority for Universal. And in 2021, the studio finally landed on pop star Ariana Grande as Glenda and the Broadway phenom Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba. Fans talked about the casting choices all over social media.