‘Wicked’ headed to the big screen

Hollywood publications are reporting that director Stephen Daldry, who directed Billy Elliot on film and stage, will direct a movie adaptation of the smash hit musical play Wicked.

Marc Platt, who produced the show on Broadway and is also a producer on Disney’s film version of Into the Woods, is reportedly aiming for a 2016 release date. But Platt told Film Divider that he and the movie’s other creators will take their time to get the film right.

"Audiences enjoy that show so much that we are intending to move forward on the movie but aren't going to do so until we're satisfied in the material we have as a screenplay, and that the film will be every bit as satisfying as what we have on the stage,” he said/

In addition to its phenomenal success on Broadway, Wicked, which is especially popular with teenage girls and young women, played on stage for several years in Chicago and has drawn sold-out crowds to its national tours.

Platt said Winnie Holzman (My So-Called Life), who wrote the book for the Broadway show Wicked, is also working on the screenplay. The play’s music and lyrics are by Stephen Schwartz.