The movie languished in development hell for years until the filmmaker behind “In the Heights” took a shot with a very specific — and urgent — vision The post How Jon M. Chu Broke the ‘Wicked’ Curse appeared first on TheWrap.

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo star in Universal's highly anticipated adaptation of the long-running Broadway musical.

Chu told HuffPost’s Ellen Lee how “Wicked” transcends its magic, challenges the status quo and echoes his pursuit of the American dream beyond the “yellow brick road.”

Many longtime fans of the Broadway musical are bursting with questions on how director Jon M. Chu translated the stage show for the screen. The Deseret News spoke with Chu Friday and asked him about his process,

“There was no world where we wouldn’t invite them to come be a part of this,” director Jon M. Chu tells The Hollywood Reporter. “The question for us was, how, and how much are they willing to do in it, and how much can the story itself handle it? Because they’re such iconic people and especially to these roles.”

As reported last year, Wicked: Part Two will also feature two new songs, both composed by Stephen Schwartz, the mastermind behind the original musical. Chu reiterated this news in a recent interview with Games Radar, saying, “We get maybe a new song—or two. We get more into the meat, and the best is yet to come with these characters.”

Jon M. Chu remembers Ariana Grande's 'Wicked' auditions and explains his plans for the musical, including 'Dancing Through Life' number. Interview

Jon Chu on the aspects of the broadway musical that made sense on stage, but were illogical on the big screen and how he fixed them.