Michelle Yeoh says taking ‘Wicked’ role was a ‘risk’

LOS ANGELES — Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh is saying that taking on the role in the ‘Wicked’ musical was a “risk.”

“I’m trying something new right now – filming Jon Chu’s Wicked movie, which will be my first musical,” Yeoh said during the Fifth Annual Meihodo International Youth Visual Media Festival in Japan, reports Deadline.

“It’s very exciting, and I can’t wait for you all to see it. It was a risk, but you will never know which doors will open for you unless you try them all.”

Yeoh will be playing the role of Madame Morrible, the headmistress of Shiz University’s Crage Hall where Elphaba and Glinda attend, in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical. The star will be teaming up again with Chu after working on Crazy Rich Asians in 2018.

‘Wicked’ will be broken into two parts with Wicked Part One slated to drop on Wednesday, November 27, 2024. Chu shared on Instagram why they opted to make two films for the musical.

“As we tried to cut songs or trim characters, those decisions began to feel like fatal compromises to the source material that has entertained us all for so many years,” Chu said in an open letter posted on Instagram.

“So we decided to give ourselves a bigger canvas and make not just one Wicked movie but TWO!!!! With more space, we can tell the story of Wicked as it was meant to be told while bringing even more depth and surprise to the journeys of these beloved characters.”

Cynthia Erivo will be playing Elphaba while Ariana Grande is set to play Glinda. The cast of the film also includes Bowen Yang, Keala Settle, Marissa Bode, Brownwyn James, Ethan Slater and Jonathan Bailey.