A movie based on the highly successful stage musical "Wicked" has been in the works for some time, and according to a report from Movie Pilot, the film may see a winter release later this year. However, producer Marc Platt also explained that this is not yet a concrete release window and that the film might be delayed later down the road.
"2016 is the goal, but I don't know whether we'll make that goal or not," Platt explained last year. "We will make the movie, but like I said, the bar is really high. We're going to scrutinize our work on the screenplay and our prep on the movie, and when we feel like it's ready, okay."
Platt continued to point out that other stage musicals such as "Les Miserables" and "Into the Woods" took three decades to be adapted into the big screen and that they are in no rush to get the film version of "Wicked" into production. There are no reports to date of a finished draft script being submitted for review.
"Wicked" debuted on Broadway as far back as 2003 and starred Kristen Chenoweth and "Frozen" star Idina Menzel in the leading roles. The stage play's plot basically serves as a prequel to "The Wizard of Oz" as it follows the history of the witches and how they grew up into the characters fans have grown accustomed to in the movie.
Writer Winnie Holzman, who wrote the original book, is reportedly writing the script and there is talk of "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" director Stephen Daldry helming the project. No casting news has yet been announced but according to AllMediaNY, actress Lea Michele is the top choice to play the lead character Elphaba.
Fans do speculate that a winter release is no longer possible as production has yet to begin.
