As Wicked: For Good approaches its release on the 2025 movie schedule, fans are excited to see how the classic The Wizard of Oz story will be interwoven in Elphaba and Glinda’s storylines on the big screen. As of late, there’s been a lot of talk about what’s going on with Dorothy in the movie musical, but I’m getting excited about what director Jon M. Chu recently said about his iterations of Scarecrow and Tin Man.
Jon M. Chu Is Hyping Up Scarecrow And Tin Man In Wicked: For Good
On Friday, Chu paid a visit to the London Film Festival to offer an exclusive sneak peek to attendees from Wicked: For Good and share more about the upcoming fall release. Here’s what he said about two of the Wizard of Oz characters (via The Hollywood Reporter):
Wait until you see the Tin Man and the Scarecrow. These are not digital effects. These are real, physical makeup and hair. And it is extraordinary. I couldn’t show anybody here, but when you see it, when you look at it, know that there was no room for error on it. And the team that did it is just incredible.
Luckily, we’ve got just six weeks until the movie hits theaters. As Chu spoke, he made a real effort to make Tin Man and Scarecrow these practical characters with physical makeup and hair rather than involving too much CGI. Though here’s what he later clarified on his Instagram:
Almost all of their face and body are practical effects and it is incredible but there are also visual effects involved in the body joints and some seams and clean up. I would never want to undercut how hard our visual effects teams worked to make them perfect.
If you’ve seen the live musical before, you know why Scarecrow and Tin Man are so key to Wicked: For Good, and if you don’t, you might want to avoid the final trailer that just dropped a couple of weeks ago. Either way, it’s great to hear the Ozians received a lot of love and care from the director to bring them to life over 80 years after they were in the 1939 classic, The Wizard of Oz.
It’s Great To Hear That After Dorothy’s Role In Wicked: For Good Has Been The Red Hot Topic
Chu’s comments come after there’s been a lot of talk about Dorothy specifically, from rumors about who would play her, and how much she’s going to be in it. In a recent Empire interview, it was confirmed that Dorothy will only be seen from behind or afar in Wicked: For Good. Cynthia Erivo’s take on the reveal is that it’s “wonderful” because “everyone gets to keep the Dorothy that they know.” Plus, it does keep in spirit of the musical, which doesn’t really feature her at all.
The reveal has been met with mixed reactions, especially for those who were hoping to see the beloved character interact with Cynthia Erivo’s Ephaba and Ariana Grande’s Glinda (though Grande has said she’ll for sure get to play at Glinda’s “shadiness” towards her).
But, we’ll just have to see it all play out when Wicked: For Good hits theaters on November 21. Now I’m definitely looking forward to Tin Man and Scarecrow more than ever.