Jeff Goldblum.Photo: Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
Jeff Goldblummight be headed to the Land of Oz.
On Friday,Varietyreported that Goldblum, 70, isin “final talks” to play the Wizardin the upcoming film adaptations of the hit musicalWicked.
Neither Universal Pictures nor Goldblum’s representatives immediately responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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Jeff Goldblum.Frazer Harrison/Getty
To do so, the director announced in April that theadaptation would be split into two separate movies.
“With more space, we can tell the story ofWICKEDas it was meant to be told,” Chu said at the time, noting that “a bigger canvas” would allow the creative team the space to include as many musical numbers and characters as possible.
On Sept. 21,BridgertonstarJonathan Baileywas announced astaking on the role of Fiyero, the main love interest in the musical.
“He’s perfect, they’re perfect,” wrote Chu on Twitter amid the announcement of Bailey’s casting. “They’d be perfect together. Born to be forever … I am too excited to pretend this hasn’t been happening. We have a Fiyero!!!!#JonathanBailey#Wicked.”
RELATED VIDEO: Idina Menzel CongratulatesAriana Grande, Cynthia Erivo onWickedCasting News: “So Much Love”
In an Oct. 11 Instagram post, Grande, 29, shared a series ofphotos from rehearsalsfeaturing the star-studded cast.
Wickeddebuted on Broadway in October 2003 withIdina Menzel,Kristin ChenowethandJoel Greyas the original cast members playing Elphaba, Glinda and the Wizard, respectively.
The book/musical tells the story of Elphaba’s life prior to becoming known as the Wicked Witch of the West from L. Frank Baum’sThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz(which was later adapted into the classic 1939 film starringJudy Garland).
The original Broadway production won threeTony Awardsand six Drama Desk Awards, as well as aGrammy Award.
Wicked Part 1isscheduled to hit theatersDec. 25, 2024, with thesequel expected to release exactly one year later, according to Universal Pictures' website.
source: people.com
