Director Jon M. Chu and Designer Nathan Crowley Detail WICKED Movie Sets

Ozians, rejoice! In a new story at Architectural Digest, director Jon M. Chu and production designer Nathan Crowley have shed some new light on the intricate and detailed sets featured in the upcoming Wicked movie, favoring physical creations to CGI.

“My goal was to go beyond the matte paintings, beyond a digital world, and really let the audience step into Oz,” Chu said to AD. “The emotions in Wicked are so deep and true. I didn’t just want a fantasy world beyond our reach. I wanted an immersive space where our characters could come to life," he added.

Some of the built sets included Shiz University, the school that both Elphaba and Glinda attend as students, which Crowley says "were the biggest sets I have ever created." Furthermore, the circular bookshelves (featured in the library set at the university) become mobile during some of the movie's musical sequences.

"The joy is that it all feels very real,” said Crowley. “CGI can distance the audience, but architecture really holds you."

This is also true of The Wizard's disguise, a physical puppet created from a 3D scan of Jeff Goldblum's face, powered manually behind the scenes.

As for the tulip fields in Oz, the Production Team planted around nine million bulbs in rural Norfolk, England.

"We hope that you feel the scope and scale, that it challenges your imagination. This goes way beyond what a proscenium stage would ever immerse you in.” Chu shared. Read more at Architectural Digest.

About WICKED

The Wicked film adaptation stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda. Joining them is Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Ethan Slater as Boq, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard. 

Marissa Bode will portray Nessarose, Elphaba's younger sister. The cast of characters also includes Pfannee and ShenShen, two conniving compatriots of Glinda played by Emmy nominee Bowen Yang (Saturday Night Live) and Bronwyn James (Harlots), and a new character created for the film, Miss Coddle, played by Tony nominee Keala Settle (The Greatest Showman). Aaron Teoh joins as Avaric with Michael Carmichael as Nikidik. Emmy-Winner Peter Dinklage is set to play Dr. Dillamond in the film.

Part One of the film will be released on November 22, 2024, with the second part hitting theaters on November 21, 2025. Pre-save the official soundtrack here. Also, be sure to check out BroadwayWorld's comprehensive guide to the Wicked movie!