Broadway’s WICKED Will Finally Hit Theaters In 2019

Even if you've never seen Wicked, you're probably aware of it. Songs from the musical - which exploded upon its 2003 arrival Broadway - have become karaoke go-to's, stars from the original cast have crossed over into some of your favorite TV shows (always a pleasure when Kristin Chenoweth pops up), and Hollywood's been talking about turning the musical into a movie for years. And now it sounds like someone's finally going to do it.

According to The Wrap:

Universal has set a December 20, 2019 release date for its long-awaited Wicked movie.

Stephen Daldry is directing the big screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, which starred Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth in the original production.

Daldry's a solid choice for this film, and not only because he's not Rob Marshall. Daldry spent years directing for the stage, and eventually earned a Tony for his work on Broadway. He's no slouch behind a camera, either: this is the guy who directed the crowdpleasing Billy Elliot and the award-winning The Hours. Dude brings a good amount of prestige and talent to this particular table.

If you're unfamiliar with Wicked, here's a plot breakdown via Wikipedia:

Wicked tells the story of two unlikely friends, Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) and Glinda, who struggle through opposing personalities and viewpoints, rivalry over the same love-interest, reactions to the Wizard's corrupt government and, ultimately, Elphaba's public fall from grace.

It's a musical retelling of The Wizard Of Oz, in other words, told from the point of view of Oz' two most famous witches (the original Broadway cast featured Idina Menzel as Elphaba and Chenoweth as Glinda). If you're wondering how much of a market there is for such a thing, consider that Wicked has earned over $3B on Broadway over the past decade. As The Wrap points out, that makes the play worth more than any film Universal's ever made.

As of now, no cast members have been set, but the plan is for Wicked to be a Christmas release in 2019. You should go ahead and start learning all the songs now.