Universal has staked out Dec. 20, 2019 for its feature adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Wicked. It’s been a long journey for this Wizard of Oz prequel to the big screen. The musical has been seen by more than 50M fans around the world and in March crossed the $1 billion mark in Broadway ticket sales. Worldwide Wicked has grossed $4B in ticket sales. Stephen Daldry is directing and Marc Platt is producing. The three-time Tony Award-winning stage musical was adapted from Gregory Maguire’s bestselling novel by book writer Winnie Holzman (My So-Called Life) and three-time Oscar-winning composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin), who are also collaborating on the screenplay adaptation. Wicked is produced on Broadway by Platt, Universal Stage Productions, the Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone.

Universal Pictures has set its “Wicked” movie for the Christmas season with a release date of Dec. 22, 2021.

Stephen Daldry will direct and Marc Platt will produce. The three-time Tony Award-winning stage musical was adapted from Gregory Maguire’s novel by Winnie Holzman and three-time Oscar-winning composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz, who are also collaborating on the screenplay adaptation.

“Wicked” was produced on Broadway by Platt, Universal Stage Productions, the Araca Group, Jon B. Platt, and David Stone. The movie version will open five days after Fox launches its “Avatar 3” along with an untitled Disney live-action movie, and an untitled Warner Bros. animated feature.

Universal had original slated “Wicked” to open during the 2019 holidays but decided instead to go with “Cats,” the big-screen adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s smash musical, on Dec. 20, 2019.

The film adaptation of 2003’s “Wicked” is expected to include two new songs. Cast members have not yet been announced.

“ Wicked ” tells the story of the 1939 movie “The Wizard of Oz” and L. Frank Baum’s classic 1900 novel “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” from the perspective of the witches of Oz. It surpassed “A Chorus Line” last year to become the sixth-longest-running Broadway musical of all time, and has grossed $1.3 billion over the past 15 years.

EXCLUSIVE: After adapting Lin Manuel-Miranda’s In the Heights for Warner Bros, Jon M. Chu has his sights set on adapting one of Broadway’s biggest hits. Sources tell Deadline that Chu will direct Universal’s Wicked, the feature-film adaptation of the record-breaking musical phenomenon that is in its 17th smash-hit year on Broadway.

The three-time Tony Award-winning stage musical was adapted from Gregory Maguire’s bestselling novel by book writer Winnie Holzman and composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz, who are also collaborating on the screenplay adaptation. Marc Platt will produce for his Universal-based Marc Platt Productions. Wicked is produced on Broadway by Universal Stage Productions, Platt, the Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone.

Timing is everything and in this situation it worked out nicely for both parties. Last fall, Billy Elliot director Stephen Daldry left the project after the studio was looking to move fast on the long-awaited adaptation. Around the same time, Chu had to part ways with Disney+’s new Willow series he was planning to direct due to issues with Covid-19 that kept pushing production. On top of that, Chu is expecting a baby. With Chu’s schedule open and Wicked looking for a director, the timing worked out for both sides.

With a national tour and multiple international productions, the stage musical has been seen by over 60 million people worldwide, making it one of the most successful theatrical ventures of all time. The winner of over 100 international awards including Grammys and three Tony Awards, Wicked has been performed in over 100 cities in 16 countries around the world (U.S., Canada, the UK, Ireland, Japan, Germany, Holland, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, The Philippines, Mexico, Brazil, Switzerland, and China) and has been translated into six languages: Japanese, German, Dutch, Spanish, Korean and Portuguese.

Senior EVP Production Erik Baiers and director of development Lexi Barta will oversee the project on behalf of Universal .

Besides adapting In the Heights, which will premiere in theaters and on HBO Max later this year, Chu directed the box office smash Crazy Rich Asians for Warner Bros. Chu is repped by UTA, Artists First Inc and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher, LLP.

Wicked has found its leads. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande will star in Universal’s adaptation of the hit musical that is to be directed by Crazy Rich Asians filmmaker Jon M. Chu. Erivo will play Elphaba while Grande will play Glinda.