Wicked stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande; Credits: Coming soon.net

Wicked has been in talks for the longest time now, but constant postpones in the production schedule have been pushing the release date of the film farther and farther away. Movie buffs have been waiting for the film for the longest time now, and while there is still no set date for the film's release, fans can find happiness in another revelation about the film, or films!

The director of the film, Jon. M Chu took to Twitter today to share that the film Wicked is to be released in two parts. The movie will have a split story that is expected to release around Christmas time this year and then around Christmas again next year. 

Wicked is a spinoff tale that drives deeper into the story of the witches from the magical land of Oz, as featured in the famous story of The Wizard of Oz. Everything becomes a little more interesting in Oz when The Wicked Witch of the West becomes friends with Glinda The Good Witch. 

The characters of the Wicked Witch and the Good Witch are to be played by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. 

Wicked is presently going through its editing stage where the team is struggling with hacking some parts of the film without actually changing what the story is supposed to look like, shared the director. Things are also a little more challenging as Wicked already has a huge fan base and fans have high expectations from the film. 

The story, characters, and the songs from the musical have been passed down as favorites through the generations, and at such a time, there is not much that the production team can change in the film and not mess with the essence of the narration. 

Hence, Chu admitted that they were under tremendous pressure to keep things original and not leave out a lot of stuff that had happened in the musical. But stuffing all of it into a single film was not possible. 

Therefore, the team came to the decision that wicked will be released into two parts, meaning they would have a much longer time to work with and need not change how the story turns out to be. The space will also allow them to explore all the characters in much more depth as compared to the earlier narration and add to their journey through the magical world. 

While it is a great thing to know that the team is so concerned about the movie experience of the film's fans, it is sad for the audience as they will have to wait a much longer time before they will have a sense of closure for the movie. The film has already suffered a lot with delays in production. 

Wicked has been a cultural phenomenon for a long time now, especially having made a big impact when it crossed the $1 billion in ticket sales back in 2004! Yet, if the film is going to be so true to the original stage musical production, it is essential to note that the wait for its release will be worth it. 

Talking with Collider earlier, the director had shared that he does not have enough words to explain the kind of position they are in when it comes to Wicked. He exclaimed that it is nice to work on it to find the full truth along with working on one song at a time to understand it all. 

Stepping behind the camera, Chu has already made enough name for himself and has helmed two Justin Bieber movies along with two Step Up films. Brilliant at his skill, the director earned admirable critical acclaim for his adaptation of In the Heights, another Broadway-inspired project. He is also popular for being the mastermind behind Crazy Rich Asians and Jem and the Holograms. 

The film Wicked is now based on the Broadway musical show, which is in turn based on the novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. The novel by Gregory McGuire was earlier adapted by Winnie Holzman for a stage feature, where Stephan Schwartz wrote the music and the lyrics for the musical show. 

The Broadway show has earned itself a Tonys and a Grammy accolade along with also having the honor of being the longest-running Broadway show. The movie will further spread the love with Wicked as Ariana Grande comes to star in her first major role in a film. 

Wicked is based on the Broadway Wicked, in turn adapted from the novel of the same name; Credits: Collider

The singer has had smaller cameo roles in Don't Look Up, Men in Black: International, and Zoolander 2.