Jeff Goldblum may play the Wizard of Oz in Wicked movie

Stage musicals take forever to get to the big screen. Wicked, based on the book of the same name by Gregory Maguire, which itself is a twist on The Wizard of Oz, was a huge hit when it came out on stage back in 2003, but is only now being turned into a movie. And where’s the Hamilton movie, Hollywood? You’re burning daylight here.

Anyway, the movie is coming together now, and the cast looks solid. As Elphaba, the woman who will go on to become the Wicked Witch of the West, Universal has cast proper Broadway hoofer and movie star Cynthia Erivo. Pop star Ariana Grande will play her frenemy Glinda. And now, Deadline reports that Jeff Goldblum is being considered to play the Wizard of Oz himself.

And he is only being “considered.” This isn’t a done deal. But it sounds pretty perfect. Goldblum has made a specialty out of playing powerful, slightly daffy authority figures; think the Grandmaster in Thor: Ragnarok. I can easily see him playing the huckster Wizard of Oz who intimidates people from behind his curtain but is a bit of a flustered dork when unmasked.

The Wicked movie will be split in two and premiere around Christmas 2024

The only thing that gives me some pause is that Joel Grey originated the role of the Wizard in Wicked back during the show’s initial run on Broadway. He’s a legendary actor in his own right, having won an Oscar for Cabaret back in 1973. It’d be cool to see him in the movie, but at 90 years old, who knows if he’d be interested?

Because everything must be a series nowadays, Universal has opted to split Wicked into two movies to be release on subsequent Christmases starting in December of 2024. John M. Chu, the guy behind the good-but-little-seen movie musical In The Heights, is directing.

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