‘Wicked’ Director Jon M. Chu Explains Why the Film Is a ‘Story About Change’ in Exclusive Featurette | Video

“Wicked” is everywhere.

Since debuting at Thanksgiving, the movie, an adaptation of the blockbuster musical, has earned more than $635 million at the global box office and earned four Golden Globe nominations and eleven Critics’ Choice Award nominations (including Best Picture). It just debuted on digital platforms, too, so if you have someone in your house that is a “Wicked”-head, you’re going to be hearing “Defying Gravity” even more often than before.

And now you can go behind-the-scenes of the movie with a brand-new featurette dedicated to the movie’s director Jon M. Chu. You can watch it below.

“I think back to the moment I first saw ‘Wicked,’ when it was being workshopped in San Francisco 20 years ago. I had a very personal family connection to it watching it with my mother and I was so blown away to learn the backstory of the Wicked Witch. It felt so relevant event back then,” Chu said in the featurette. Chu has always been a fan of musicals, having been hired to make a modernized “Bye Bye Birdie” out of college (he went to USC). He would later make two installments in the dance-heavy “Step Up” franchise before bringing “In the Heights” to the big screen in 2021.

This is a man uniquely qualified to bring the musical to life, with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in the main roles and a fantastical, elaborate fantasy world conjured up by a team of artisans and technicians.

Later in the featurette, Chu said, “Deep down in it, it’s a story about change. It’s a story about new perspectives.” Find out more by watching the rest of the featurette.

“Wicked” is currently playing in theaters and is available on digital. “Wicked: For Good,” the second half of the story, will be released on Nov. 21, 2025.

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