When others ran from the musical, Jon M. Chu and 'Wicked' embraced it

NEW YORK (AP) — “Musical” has been a dirty word lately in Hollywood marketing, but “Wicked” director Jon M. Chu isn’t having it.

Of course, there’s no running from the term when you’re bringing to the screen one of the most popular Broadway shows of the 21st century, or telling a story so connected to one of the most beloved movie musicals ever, “The Wizard of Oz.” But Chu, the 44-year-old filmmaker of 2021’s “In the Heights” who as a young man was transported by “Wicked” on the stage, is a true believer in form.

“When words aren’t enough, music is the extension of your expression. That’s what movies do, and that’s what musicals do,” says Chu. “When it’s tied into their communication of where characters are at in this moment and time, it’s the most beautiful thing.”

“Wicked,” which Universal Pictures opens Thursday in theaters, is one of the fall’s biggest gambles not just because it’s been split in two (the second “Wicked” film will arrive in fall 2025), but because it’s going all-out for a big-screen, song-and-dance spectacular at a time when other films (see “Wonka” and “Mean Girls”) have sought to shroud their musical underpinnings.

“Everyone knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, once in a lifetime to make a movie of this scale, of this moment when cinema is being questioned of what place it has in our life,” says Chu. “We had to shoot the moon.”

“Wicked,” written by Winnie Holzman (who penned the book to the musical) and Dana Fox, stars Cynthia Erivo as the green-skinned Elphaba Thropp, who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, and Ariana Grande as Galinda, the future Good Witch of the South.

Various forms of a “Wicked” movie been in development almost since the Broadway show opened in 2003 — earlier, in fact, because producer Marc Platt initially developed Gregory Maguire’s book “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” as a film before shifting to the stage.

Over the years, J.J. Abrams, Ryan Murphy, Rob Marshall and Stephen Daldry have all been attached to it, along with a wide array of actors.

But Chu and Platt, who are also together developing a Britney Spears biopic, consider it destiny that Chu would helm “Wicked.” During a recent interview by Zoom, Chu said he identifies strongly with the story’s themes of taking alternate routes to Emerald City.

“‘The Wizard of Oz’ had such an influence of my own family — an immigrant family that came to America with these dreams,” says Chu, whose parents were born in Taiwan and China. “We’re going through such a changing period in our culture, and this hit it so on the nose — that change is difficult, that the Yellow Brick Road may not be the path for all of us."

Much of “Wicked” will hinge on its two leads (though the supporting cast includes Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero and Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible). Chu says he never did a chemistry read with Erivo and Grande together — even though Grande auditioned numerous times.

“Ari, she came in five times for us. Every time, she was the most interesting person in the room,” Chu says. “I resisted. I was like, ‘There’s no way Ariana Grande, the person we think of, can handle this, carrying a movie, her first movie.’ Wait until you see her in this. She will blow your mind and break your hearts.”

Erivo, who was already won a Tony, Grammy and Emmy, and been nominated for an Oscar, was an easier call.

“I knew Cynthia could do ‘Defy Gravity’ anytime, anywhere,” says Chu. “What I didn’t know was how vulnerable she could be. But when she came in and sang ‘The Wizard and I,’ she showed her wounds. To me, that’s why I fell in love with movies, when you get to see someone so raw.”

The first “Wicked” film will emphasize Elphaba's transformation, the second Glinda's.

“That structure and those journeys made it that much easier to see, oh, there’s two different stories,” says Platt, the veteran producer of “La La Land,” “Into the Woods” and “Legally Blonde.” “They’re the same story and it’s about both of them all the time. But, really, one character changes significantly through the first and one changes significantly in the second.”

Measuring up to not just “Wicked" but “The Wizard of Oz” was an added pressure that led to some extremes. Chu, for example, had nine million tulips grown for his sets.

“Very few filmmakers have had the opportunity to paint Oz, and I took that very seriously,” says Chu. “We built a lot of sets. A 16-ton Emerald City train. We built Emerald City. We built Munchkin Land. You could walk around. You could go into stores. You could look at the labels in the stores!”

This story first moved Sept. 7, 2024, and has been updated ahead of the release of “Wicked.”

This image released by Universal Pictures shows Ariana Grande, as Glinda, left, and Cynthia Erivo, as Elphaba, in a scene from the film "Wicked." (Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures via AP)

This image released by Universal Pictures shows a scene from the film "Wicked." (Universal Pictures via AP)

This image released by Universal Pictures shows a scene from the film "Wicked." (Universal Pictures via AP)

This image released by Universal Pictures shows a scene from the film "Wicked." (Universal Pictures via AP)

Ariana Grande poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'Wicked' on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in London. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Cynthia Erivo, left, and Ariana Grande pose for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'Wicked' on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in London. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Cynthia Erivo poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'Wicked' on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in London. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Cynthia Erivo, from left, Jon M. Chu, and Ariana Grande attend the premiere of "Wicked" at the Museum of Modern Art on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

This image released by Universal Pictures shows Cynthia Erivo, left, and Ariana Grande, with director Jon M. Chu, right, on the set of the film "Wicked." (Universal Pictures via AP)

This image released by Universal Pictures shows Cynthia Erivo, left, and Ariana Grande, with director Jon M. Chu, right, on the set of the film "Wicked." (Universal Pictures via AP)

This image released by Universal Pictures shows Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard of Oz, left, and Michelle Yeoh as Madam Morrible in a scene from the film "Wicked." (Universal Pictures via AP)

This image released by Universal Pictures shows director Jon M. Chu, center, on the set of "Wicked." (Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures via AP)

This image released by Universal Pictures shows Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in the film "Wicked." (Universal Pictures via AP)

This image released by Universal Pictures shows Ariana Granda as Glinda in the film "Wicked." (Universal Pictures via AP)

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog will miss some time, the Avalanche said, after he was injured and needed to be helped off the ice early in the second period of what became a 2-1 loss in Florida on Sunday night.

The good news, such as it is, for the Avs might be this: “It's not his knee,” forward Nathan MacKinnon said.

Landeskog, who was out for nearly three full years with chronic right knee problems before returning during last season's playoffs, is dealing now with an upper body injury, Avs coach Jared Bednar said. The severity of the issue was not immediately released by the team, and Landeskog was still being evaluated postgame. It wasn't even clear after the game if Landeskog would be able to accompany the Avalanche to Tampa for a game there against the Lightning on Tuesday night.

“He’s still getting looked at and diagnosed, but it did not look comfortable," Bednar said. “He's going to miss some time for sure."

Landeskog crashed into a goalpost, sliding headfirst along the ice, after his left knee appeared to buckle and he lost his footing. He was down behind the goal for several minutes and was unable to skate off under his own power.

"Bones heal. They just heal normally," MacKinnon said. “Tendons, ligaments are kind of scary injuries in sports. I think after the process he had, obviously, it looked horrible and it's definitely scary, devastating to see a guy like that hurt like that because he's so tough. But the one bright side, maybe, is it's not his knee.”

MacKinnon said several members of the Panthers asked Avalanche players throughout the rest of the game how Landeskog was doing, which he felt was a classy gesture. The Panthers are currently without several of their top players because of injury, including captain Aleksander Barkov.

“It's a sensitive subject for us," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. "If you love the game, you follow what he’s had to go through to get back. You’re also very aware of how important he is to that team. ... I’m just hopeful that it’s short term. He’s been through enough. He’s too important. Just the game of hockey, we need him on the ice.”

Landeskog helped the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2022, then missed nearly three full years with a chronically injured right knee — one that required several procedures before he could play again. He returned for five games in last season's playoffs, ending more than 1,000 days of waiting between games.

Landeskog has appeared in all 41 of Colorado's games this season, a key part of the team's historic start, and has seven goals and 15 assists. The Avalanche, even after Sunday's loss, are 31-3-7 — by far the best record in the league and their 69 standings points are the second-most through 41 games in NHL history.

Landeskog was also named to represent Sweden in next month's Milan Cortina Olympics.

“No player wants to see another player, regardless of what team they’re on or who they’re playing for, get seriously hurt," Bednar said. “Hopefully, it’s nothing too serious.”

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Colorado Avalanche left wing Gabriel Landeskog (92) skates with the puck as Florida Panthers defenseman Donovan Sebrango (6) defends during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)