Michelle Yeoh Boards Universal’s ‘Wicked’ Films

Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once) has joined Universal’s two-part film adaptation of the Tony-winning Broadway musical Wicked, Deadline can confirm. She’s set to star alongside previously announced cast members including Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jeff Goldbum, Jonathan Bailey and Ethan Slater.

First introduced to the Great White Way in 2003, Wicked is based on Gregory Maguire’s bestselling novel of the same name — itself based on L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which was previously adapted into MGM’s classic 1939 film of the same name. It’s a prequel to The Wizard of Oz which examines how the green-skinned Elphaba (Erivo) became the Wicked Witch of the West, as well as the sorceress Glinda’s (Grande) trajectory to becoming known as the Good Witch.

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Yeoh will play Madame Morrible — a cohort of The Wizard (Goldblum) who serves as headmistress of Crage Hall at Shiz University.

Jon M. Chu is directing both film installments set for release on December 25, 2024 and December 25, 2025, from a script by the stage show’s book writer Winne Holzman and composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz. Marc Platt is producing through his Universal-based Marc Platt Productions, alongside David Stone, with Senior Executive Vice President of Production Erik Baiers and Vice President of Production Development Lexi Barta overseeing the project on behalf of the studio.

Yeoh is a BAFTA Award nominee who has recently starred in films including A24’s highest-grossing title Everything Everywhere All at Once, as well as The School for Good and Evil, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Gunpowder Milkshake, Last Christmas and Crazy Rich Asians. The actress has also been seen on series including Star Trek: Discovery and Marco Polo, among others. Yeoh will next be seen in Avatar: The Way of Water, as well as Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Kenneth Branagh’s A Haunting in Venice, Netflix’s The Witcher: Blood Origin and more.

Yeoh’s Wicked casting was first reported by Variety. The actress is repped by Artist International Group and Cohen & Gardner.

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