From Viscount to Prince – Variety reports that: Bridgerton heartthrob Jonathan Bailey is in talks to play Fiyero in Jon M. Chu’s film adaptations of the Broadway musical Bad.
Suggest the events of The Wizard of Oz, Bad tells the story of G(a)linda the Good Witch and Elphaba, who would come to be known as the Wicked Witch of the West. The women, who start the musical as college roommates, find their unlikely friendship challenged from almost every angle, including a love triangle with the local Prince Fiyero.
Although Bailey is an accomplished stage actor, who has starred in West End productions since childhood, most know him as Viscount Anthony Bridgerton, the regal and riotous eldest son of the Netflix series’ titular family.
Bailey joins a talented cast that includes megastar Ariana Grande as Glinda and Tony Winner Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba.
Per Variety, Bailey is represented by Anonymous Content, Conway van Gelder Grant Ltd, CAA, Relevant and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller, Gellman, Meigs & Fox.
Bad Movie adaptation is split into two parts
Based on a 400-page novel and a musical runtime of nearly three hours, Bad no shortage of story. To preserve as much of that story as possible, the big-screen edit is told in two films.
Director Jon M. Chu says splitting the films into two parts was a necessary step to avoid “doing any damage” to Bad‘s story.
“The truth is, we tried for a while to make it into one movie, even if it had to be one really long movie. But we kept running into two problems: whether to leave out things that we wanted to include that we think fans would like of the show and the story will appreciate it,” Chu told schwartz scene about the two-film approach.
Chu also said that one of the most famous songs from the musical, Defying Gravity, was a natural moment to draw a curtain.
“…We found it very difficult to get past Defying Gravity without a break. That song was written specifically to bring down a curtain, and any scene to follow it without a break just seemed hugely anti- climax,” he said. “So for these two reasons, plus the excitement of doing something that has never been done with a musical before, we decided to make two films. Of course, when it’s all done, if it doesn’t work that way, we’ll have We have to figure something out. But we’re confident it’s best for our story, our show, and our fans.”
Bad part 1 is set to open on Christmas Day 2024, with the second part expected Christmas 2025.