Jeff Goldblum is set to make his film debut as part of the ensemble cast of Wicked’s big screen adaptation.
The big screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Bad has stalled for a long time, but is now moving faster than a tornado. While the two-part film is being directed by Jon M. Chu, fresh off his work on In the Heightsand headed by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, it looks like a member of the Hollywood royalty is about to embark on the project in the form of Jeff Goldblum. According to Varietythe Jurassic World: Dominion star is in final negotiations to take on the wizard’s role in the film.
While the wizard is a bumbling fool in the original story of The Wizard of Ozin Bad, he is turned into the villain of the story. A gentle and enigmatic figure, the Wizard’s intentions soon prove cunning and evil, and the switch could very well be down Goldblum’s street. Although he has become much better known for his starring roles in films like independence Day and Jurassic Parkdid he play dark characters like Seth Brundle in The flyand the Grand Master’s jovial villain in Thor: Ragnarok.
The news that Goldblum is joining the cast has yet to be officially confirmed by the studio or director, it seems pretty certain and a solid pick for the role. Although Goldblum is not the first star to be mentioned in connection with the role of Fiyero, also known as the wizard, with Jonathan Bailey from Bridgerton earlier in the pictureit seems things have moved more in Goldblum’s favor now and the star will be taking on his first musical film role.
Defying gravity is the main reason Wicked will be in two parts
Having gone from studio to studio, passing through countless directors and writers, the recent spate of movie musicals has made this the perfect time for Bad to finally make his mark in the cinema. While the films will expand the show with new songs and a more detailed story from the novel, songwriter Stephen Schwartz broke down the thought process behind the two films’ approach in an earlier interview. He said:
“The truth is that for a while we tried to make it into one movie, even if it had to be one really long movie. But we kept running into two problems. The first is that even as a very long single movie, we had to cut or cut out things that we wanted to include that we think fans of the show and story will appreciate. Second, we found it very difficult to get past ‘Defying Gravity’ without a break. That song was written specifically to bring down a curtain, and whatever scene to follow it without a break just seemed hugely anti-climactic. For these two reasons, plus the excitement of doing something that has never been done before with a musical, we decided to make two films. Of course, when it’s all done, if it doesn’t work that way, we’ll have to come up with something. But we’re convinced it’s best for our story, our show and our fans.”
Bad will hit theaters in two parts in December 2024 and December 2025.