Wicked director Jon M. Chu previews key scenes: ‘Dancing Through Life, Wizard’s lair, and more (exclusive)

My pulse is rushing, my head is reeling, my face is flushing. What is this feeling? Mounting excitement for the release of Wicked, coming to theaters on Nov. 22.

For any fans of the Broadway musical (raise those green hands high), this moment has been years in the making. That includes director Jon. M Chu, who helms the two-part movie extravaganza and shares exclusive images of the film with Entertainment Weekly.

For the uninitiated, Wicked is a prequel to Frank L. Baum’s The Wizard of Oz, the story of the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), and her unlikely school friendship with Glinda the Good Witch, first known as Galinda (Ariana Grande). Tracing their time together at Shiz University, Wicked is a story bursting with new love, unrequited romance, danger, intrigue, and sisterhood.

Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande) arrive in the Emerald City in ‘Wicked’.

Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

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Chu previews what’s to come through five exclusive snapshots from the film, but before we go any further, let’s address the green girl in the room and talk about the perplexing absence of “Part One” from the film’s title and marketing.

There will still be two films as previously announced (they just bumped up its release date by five days in fact), but Chu hopes the lack of Part One branding helps emphasize their goal of creating a complete film unto itself. “This isn’t half the homework,” he insists. “If we were going to split it into two, we need to make sure that movie one is emotionally satisfying and by the end, you feel like that was a f—ing movie. I don’t like movies where you leave and feel like, ‘Well, I’ve got to wait for the next one.’ This should leave you with the highest of highs and so connected to these women.”

Dancing Through Life

Jonathan Bailey’s Prince Fiyero is “Dancing Through Life” in ‘Wicked’.

Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

The first full-length Wicked trailer has us dancing through life

Don’t expect a one-to-one retread of the stage show. Chu pledges to honor all that has come before while still bringing some new magic to the screen, all with the blessings of the Broadway show’s book writer Winnie Holzman and composer Stephen Schwartz. “We were able to find other moments that could blossom and we could add our own little twist to it,” he says.

One such moment is “Dancing Through Life,” a key song from the musical performed by Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey). In EWs exclusive photos, we see the start of this number as the Shiz campus heartthrob gets the students dancing in the university library. “I will neither confirm nor deny that its a clock,” Chu says of the striking image. “This is a rotating bookshelf because everything in Oz has a very circular shape to it. In the library, they dont have regular shelves. Nothing is regular in Oz, but at Shiz, the bookshelves are curved. And in this case, you walk up to get your book.”

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The image showcases Fiyero awakening the buttoned-up students of Shiz to the notion that life is fraught-less when you’re thoughtless. “It’s this idea that Fiyero gets to break the rules,” Chu notes. “The kids start to feel something different. It’s almost like Grease where you’re like, ‘Oh, okay, we can move our bodies like this.’ Chris did this brilliant thing where the choreography is very sharp and confined in the beginning because there’s a lot of aggression in there, and then in ‘Dancing Through Life,’ Fiyero comes and is like, ‘Just dance through. Just feel it.’”

Ozdust Ballroom

Boq (Ethan Slater) and Nessa (Marissa Bode) in ‘Wicked’.

Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

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The same sequence has several other goals: It must move through time, establishing everything from the origins of Elphaba’s hat, to Fiyero and Galinda’s romance, to the beginnings of the relationship between Nessa (Marissa Bode) and Boq (Ethan Slater). In another exclusive image, we get a glimpse of the latter pair during the number in the Ozdust Ballroom — a.k.a. the most swankified place in town.

“​​Our conception of the Ozdust is very different than what we’ve seen on stage,” Chu reveals. “All of it had a bigger purpose in our movie. It’s this giant pivot when things start to get really real here for their relationships, and space and geography sometimes help express those things.”

Those that have read Gregory Maguire’s novel, Wicked, which inspired the hit musical, might recognize this vision of the Ozdust as more aligned with the type of underground clubs that Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), Galinda (Ariana Grande), and Fiyero visit in the novel. “We definitely wanted the underbelly of Oz,” Chu says. “It’s a place where animals all get to hang out, and theres an animal band. Its not prom. I always found that difficult to understand, like, Wait, is this dance sanctioned by the school? Then why is that rebellious? In our version, Fiyero is sneaking them out of school to break the rules.” (For those who read the book, though, dont worry. This version still remains far more family friendly).

Everything we know about the Wicked movie(s)

It also helps to create a new perspective on animals, the filmmaker adds. “It helps create this idea of the rebelliousness that this new younger generation are discovering. How far will that take everybody in Oz throughout the course of the whole story of both movies? It’s an awakening of a generation. I always see it as a little bit of Pleasantville, a little bit of The Truman Show. You start to see the truth about things that maybe you were taught differently.”

The Ozdust Ballroom has the added bonus of being handicap-accessible. Chu speaks of designing “a fantastical world with a wheelchair user in mind” for Bode, who utilizes a wheelchair, and her performance. The director calls that process “one of the most enlightening and beautiful processes I’ve ever gone through,” noting, “You need accessibility, not just when we’re on set behind the scenes, but you need to present accessibility in Oz itself.”

As for Nessa’s beau Boq, Chu chose to focus on the Munchkins’ identity as something more layered and complex than their height. “Being a Munchkin isn’t about size, it’s about culture,” Chu says. “They have an agricultural nature to them, but they harvest the joy and the happiness of Oz. All of those tulips they’re growing are to be able to paint and create clothes of those colors. There’s a spirit of optimism and a spirit of solutions and the working people. Ethan has all of those things in spades. He has the biggest heart, and he’s an optimist.”

The Wizard and I

Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba and Ariana Grande’s Glinda in ‘Wicked’.

Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

Get a glimpse of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s tearful Wicked auditions

Some of the new twists and turns will almost certainly involve the mysterious Wizard (Jeff Goldblum), whose aims might be less than noble. One thing that remains true, however, is that his domain remains within the Emerald City. What may look like a view of Oz out his window, as seen in another image, is perhaps something more sinister.

“That’s not actually the view of the city, that’s something that he has in his lair,“ Chu teases. “I don’t want to tell you too much about it, but that’s not the view from his place. He collects things.”

Much of the film’s design inspiration came from drawings and descriptions of Baum’s book, including this striking image. “The designs in there are so unique and so beautiful,” Chu adds. “That was more of our inspiration, and knowing Elphaba and Galinda and what they could be [together], the possibilities made it so fun for us.”

Because I knew you…

Director Jon M. Chu directs Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande on set of ‘Wicked’.

Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

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That level of connection is one he’s already been experiencing on a daily basis for the last few years, through filming two movies and now spending his days in post-production. Even after living with it for so long, Chu continues to discover new things in the work through the course of the edit.

“Cynthia and Ari are living these roles,” he gushes. “When I watch them now, the nuance is so specific. I feel like I know the feelings of it, and every time I watch it, I see something new. They’re giving so much that it’s so real.”

So you could say that they’ve changed Wicked and Chu for good.