Michelle Yeoh is a hot property. Fresh off her Oscars win (and SAG Award win, and Golden Globe win… you get the picture) the global superstar is almost certainly drowning in offers. That’s why it was so exciting to hear the Everything Everywhere All at Once star has signed up to portray Madame Morrible in the live-action adaptation of Wicked, Wicked: Part 1, set to be released next year.
If you haven’t seen the play or just want a quick refresher or more information about the upcoming film, we got you covered.
What is Wicked?
Wicked is a 2003 musical written by Stephen Schwartz and Minnie Holzman. The musical is based loosely on the 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire called Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which in turn is based on the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Maguire has also said the 1939 film adaptation The Wizard of Oz — starring Judy Garland — was a major source of inspiration for his work.
Unlike the films, the musical is focused on the witches of Oz, with its plot beginning before Dorothy arrives and ending after she’s whirled through. The story charts the relationship of two very unlikely friends: Galinda, who becomes Glinda the Good Witch, and Elphaba, who later becomes the Wicked Witch of the West. The two friends struggle to maintain their friendship as they grow apart, and everything is made worse by their shared love interest and opposing views about the Wizard of Oz’s corrupt government. The story mostly takes place as a flashback, recounting their story from the time that Galinda first met Elphaba at Shiz University.
Wicked has achieved critical acclaim and immense ticket sales worldwide, as well as spawning several sing-a-long hits like “Defying Gravity” and “Popular.” The show’s cultural impact cannot be overstated – with runs in New York, London, and several other cities still going strong, as well as being referenced in countless television shows and films like Ugly Betty and Glee, and even having a song covered by Drake.
Who is Michelle Yeoh in Wicked: Part 1?
In Wicked: Part 1 — which will cover the first act of the stage musical — Michelle Yeoh has been cast as Madame Morrible, the headmistress of Shiz University. Unlike her roles in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Everything Everywhere All at Once, Yeoh will be playing a villain in the Dolores Umbridge mold.
Morrible plays a key part in the plot of Wicked, being the one to initially discover Elphaba’s magical abilities. At first, she appears to take the young, talented witch under her wing, also taking extra special care of Elphaba’s younger sister Nessarose, who’s wheelchair bound. However, it soon becomes clear she’s in cahoots with the Wizard of Oz, who’s revealed to be a power-hungry, smarmy despot who hates animals.
In the tense final throes of Act 1 of the play, Morrible manipulates Elphaba into creating the famous winged monkeys that terrorize Dorothy and co in The Wizard of Oz. But as the young witch sees the pain it causes the animals, she stops and breaks with her former teacher before fleeing, hoping to let the rest of Oz know about the cruelty the Wizard is subjecting the animals to. To maintain the Wizard’s power over Oz, and to make his animal cruelty seem less evil, Morrible spreads a rumor that Elphaba is the Wicked Witch of the West, making her an outcast.
In the musical, Morrible is known to have some truly incredible magical powers, especially when it comes to controlling the weather. It’s thanks to this ability that she creates the cyclone that brings Dorothy into Oz and kills the Wicked Witch of the East, Elphaba’s younger sister Nessarose, who is also turned into a castaway by Morrible once Elphaba had broken with the Wizard.
Thankfully, Morrible doesn’t win out, as Glinda has her arrested near the end of the play. The book has a more morbid ending for the headmistress-turned-government mouthpiece though, with Glinda having her killed for her crimes. However, as the play is a more family-friendly adaptation, that deadly ending was omitted for another kind of justice.
What has Michelle Yeoh said about Wicked?
As per her red carpet interview with Variety, Yeoh revealed that she had only recently watched Wicked in New York, telling the interviewer “I loved it, and then I go, ‘Oh my God, Madame Morrible sings a lot.’”
The Oscar winner also let the reporter know she is yet to shoot with the two stars of the new film, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, who play Glinda and Elphaba, respectively. However, there was no doubting her enthusiasm to work with the pair, adding “Those two are so adorable, so gorgeous, so talented. I’m so blessed that I’m going to be one of them and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Can Michelle Yeoh sing?
Considering how talented she is at acting, choreography, and languages, you might expect that Yeoh is also an incredible singer. However, in that same red carpet interview, when asked if she sang she gave a slightly nervous laugh, before revealing that she only gave her lungs a workout “in the bathroom.” Given her fellow cast members are Grande and Erivo, we’re sure she’ll be getting some useful tips on set.
What else do we know about Wicked: Part 1?
Wicked: Part 1 will be directed by Jon M. Chu, who directed Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights, and four films in the Step Up franchise. It will also star Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard, and Jonathan Bailey — of Bridgerton and Broadchurch fame — as Fiyero, the love interest. Nessarose will be played by newcomer Marissa Bode in her first feature film. Schwartz, who worked on the film as well, has also heavily implied there will be some new songs in the movie adaptation.
Wicked: Part 1 is due to be released on Christmas Day 2024, with the second part due out exactly a year later on Dec. 25, 2025.