Wicked: Part One is so close to being completed but first, the business at hand needs to be dealt with: the writers’ strike!
And the SAG-AFTRA strike!
Jon Chu Shutting It Down
The director is just as excited as the fans for the film to drop but he had to be honest about the progress and shared on social media that, for now, production is on pause. The release date was November 2024.
“Not done yet. Just paused until the strike is over and we can finish the last pieces of the movie,” he wrote with confidence. “We were only a few days away from being done so we were SO close. It’s been very painful to put a halt to it all but we will be back!”
The honest post continued. “And we will finish properly strong when the time is right,” he insists. Chu specifically spoke about the dedicated cast. “My heart goes out to our cast and crew who were cut short of what we came here to complete together.”
Shooting Is Up To Date
The good news in all of this is that Chu revealed that they are on schedule and in a good position for having been essentially forced into a pause.
“More to come,” he says. “But in the meantime l’m excited to excavate what we have shot for the past year here in Oz (release date shouldn’t be affected) . It has been an extraordinary adventure… more to do. #WickedMovie.”
The director also took the moment to tag a bunch of the actors including Ariana Grande, who shared Chu’s post, Cynthia Erivo, Jeff Goldblum, and more. He has one last message for the people responsible for the pause in filming, the SAG folks, who just want to make a wage decent enough to live off of.
“Much love our beloved SAG members who are fighting for a fair deal! We stand with you.”
Other Productions Have Shut Down
Wicked: Part One is just the latest production to shut down in solidarity with SAG members, at least one of your favorite shows is shutting it all down to stand with the writers of Yellowjackets, Abbott Elementary, Daredevil: Born Again, Family Guy, Stranger Things.
The list is growing, and many have not realized that even once the strike is over, it takes some time to get the ball rolling. Many are now fearing that some shows in their last season won’t get the finale they deserve or maybe even have the season picked back up at all.
Cynthia Erivo Chimed In
The actress who is portraying Elphaba also shared Chu’s post but she followed that up with an “On Strike” post to make sure that everyone understood what was taking place until the writers say ‘when!’
The actress admitted in one post that she has not said much about the Broadway musical making its way to the big screen but in a recent post, she reassured fans that the crew is making this the best it can be.
“I am endlessly grateful to play a role that turns the notion of what beauty is on its head, I am endlessly grateful to be working with some of the most beautiful souls on the planet and I’m already grieving for the day our little bubble must come to an end,” she writes poetically.