The success of Wicked has opened up a lot of unique conversations when it comes to films and their production. Whether it’s the equal pay received by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande or the casting process of the musical fantasy. The blockbuster film, co-starring Jonathan Bailey, has dominated the box office worldwide and its collections are increasing with each day.
But the film which was adapted from the stage musical of the same name wasn’t always supposed to be led by this set of actors. Marc Platt, one of the two producers of the movie, recently opened up about how years back several A-list actors were in talks to star in Wicked. Here’s what we know.
During his conversation with Vanity Fair, Platt opened up about how things were when he first became associated with the film. He said that when he became the president of production at Universal, the project was already in talks. “It had been optioned initially by Demi Moore’s company,” he stated. Gregory Maguire, author of the Wicked novels, mentioned other stars who showed interest, including host Whoopi Goldberg and actor Claire Danes.
“Salma Hayek had some interest, and Laurie Metcalf,” the writer further added. Though there is no surety on whether they wanted to play Elphaba or Glinda. Meanwhile, Suzanne Todd, a film producer, told the portal that on different days Demi Moore could play either of the roles, “but in the moment it was definitely for Elphaba.” There was also a list for Glinda’s casting.
While the casting did not actually happen, Todd revealed that there were a list of names she had on her mind some of which were Michelle Pfeiffer, Emma Thompson, and Nicole Kidman. There was also a lot of competition for the rights of the Wicked novel all those decades ago. She revealed that Whoopi Goldberg’s manager wanted to buy the rights for her. Vanity Fair contacted the comedian’s publicist, Brad Cafarelli for further confirmation.
He confirmed that Whoopi had loved the book and really tried hard to get those rights. Meanwhile, about Demi Moore, Maguire added, “I used to say, I can imagine Demi Moore naked and green on the cover of Vanity Fair.” He disclosed how various screenwriters attempted to adapt Wicked but no one was able to “crack it in a way that could get Wicked a green light.”
Todd divulged that back in the 1990s, Universal was hesitant to make the film because the calculated budget with all of the visual effects had come out to be around $35- or $37 million, “which at this moment in the 1990s seemed implausible.” Now, in 2024, when Wicked has finally released after decades of its production being on hold, its budget was a whopping $150 million. Not including the sequel which is slated for a release in 2025.
