Where is the Wicked movie being filmed? Upcoming musical film’s UK set locations, is Ariana Grande in cast

Twenty years after the first performance of The Wizard of Oz musical prequel Wicked opened at San Francisco’s Curran Theatre, a film adaptation is finally underway.

Wicked follows Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, from The Wizard of Oz, in her life before she met Dorothy and the Wizard. Elphaba meets Galinda (Glinda, the Good Witch) and the pair become close friends but have strongly opposing personalities. As Elphaba struggles against the regime of Oz, she and Galinda are separated by circumstance.

The film, which will be released in two parts, is the third instalment of the Wizard of Oz film franchise based on L. Frank Baum’s series of 14 children books. The first major film adaptation of his work was the classic 1939 musical The Wizard of Oz, but it wasn’t until three quarters of a century later that a prequel, Oz: The Great and Powerful, hit the big screen.

The Great and Powerful, set 20 years before The Wizard of Oz performed well at the box office, but a planned sequel never got off the ground. Wicked is another prequel set several years before Dorothy was transported to Oz in a tornado.

Where is Wicked being filmed?

Musical film Wicked is currently being filmed on an elaborate ‘Munchkinland’ set in a village in Buckinghamshire, England.  

The huge set on a remote farm in Ivinghoe was built with cranes, scaffolding and hundreds of workers on hand to transform the village into the land of Oz. Colourful thatched cottages and the famous yellow brick road have also been seen by passersby.

Filming began on Wicked in December 2022 and on 3 April Ariana Grande gave an update via Instagram confirming that production was half way to completion. The singer said of her time on set: “I am so grateful, I don’t know what to do or say… to be here in Oz where everyday is a life changing one.

"To be feeling, learning and growing so much at such a disarming speed… to feel so much love around me... Happy halfway to this most beautiful crew. My fellow Ozians. My heart will be stuck here forever.”

Parts of the movie have also been shot at the newly built Sky Studios Elstree, in Hertfordshire which boasts 13 sound stages over 28 acres.

Who is in the cast of Wicked?

Seven Rings singer Ariana Grande stars as Glinda - the film will mark the Nickelodeon star’s first major film role following a minor appearance in Netflix comedy drama Don’t Look Up.

Everything Everywhere All at Once star Michelle Yeoh is on board as Madame Morrible, whilst Cynthia Erivo plays Elphaba Thropp, and Jeff Goldblum stars as the Wizard.

Other confirmed cast members include Jonathan Bailey, Keala Settle, Adam James, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Colin Michael Carmichael, and Aaron Teoh Guan Ti.

When is the Wicked film release date?

The film will be released in two parts with the first part currently slated for a cinematic release on 27 November 2024. The second part is set for release on Christmas Day 2025.