That 'Wicked' Movie Might Come Pretty Soon

My eighth-grade self is having a heart attack right now. It's been over a decade since the show premiered on Broadway and it seems Wicked may finally be getting a film adaptation. Let the obsessions begin anew. Wicked made its Broadway debut in 2003, earning both Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth Tony nominations (and a win for Menzel) for their roles as Elphaba and Galinda. Now the film adaptation — which will reportedly pull both from the Broadway show and the 1995 Gregory Maguire novel that inspired it — appears to at last be leaving development hell. According to a Film Divider source who attended the Screen Film Summit, mention was made during Vue Cinema CEO Tim Richards' presentation about the status of the film.

If the accounts are correct, Wicked is being slated by Universal for a 2016 release date, with Billy Elliot director Stephen Daldry rumored to be directing.

Given that Menzel and Chenoweth are both in their forties now and Elphaba and Galinda are in their teens and twenties during the events of the story, it seems pretty unlikely they'll reprise their roles should this film actually move forward. That's kind of a bummer given they've only become bigger stars in the years since and Menzel is still riding that sweet Frozen wave, but I've no doubt they can find two incredibly talented young women to take on the roles. Maybe they can even find cameos for them somewhere in there.

And while we're on the subject, let's start the campaign for Harry Styles as Fiyero right here and right now.

In the meantime, reminisce: