Stephen Schwartz, the composer of the original musical, approached Ariana Grande about a hip-hop version of the song “Popular” for Wicked, but the idea was immediately rejected. According to the composer and lyricist, Grande didn’t want her character Glinda to feel like an extension of her music career, so she was uninterested in making “Popular” sound more like a pop song.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Schwartz recalled wanting to refresh the music for the film: “In the spirit of being open to new things for the movie, my music team and I thought, let’s refresh the rhythm. Let’s maybe, I don’t know, hip-hop it up a little bit.” According to the composer, however, the multiple-time Grammy Award winner immediately shot down the idea. Schwartz recalls the pop star saying she wanted to play “Glinda, not Ariana Grande playing Glinda.”
Not only that, it took some convincing to get Grande on board with the new changes to the ending of “Popular.” Ultimately, she agreed when Schwartz convinced her it was coming from the character, saying, “… if I had thought of it for the original show, this is how it would have been.” Ultimately, it looks like the film is hitting all the right notes, as Wicked is one of the best-reviewed musical adaptations of all time and a certified box office hit.
Oscar Chances for ‘Wicked’ and Ariana Grande
As Wicked reviews have been largely stellar, the adaptation is shaking up to be in contention for a ton of nominations this award season. Both of the film’s leads, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, have garnered virtually universal praise for their portrayals of Glinda and Elphaba, respectively. Not to mention, the film’s director, Jon M. Chu, is slated to be in contention for an Oscar nomination. And that’s without talking about some of the technical categories Wicked is likely to do well in, such as Makeup and Hairstyling, Production Design, Film Editing, Visual Effects, and Sound.
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Of course, Wicked looks to compete for the biggest prize at the Oscars, Best Picture. A win looks like a tall order as the film will likely face tough competition from movies like Anora, Conclave, Dune: Part Two, Emilia Perez, and The Brutalist, to name a few. That said, it would be unwise to count out this box office juggernaut that’s already defying expectations. Wicked is already setting the bar quite high in a busy winter film schedule.
The journey for Wicked is still far from over, as Part Two is scheduled to be released on November 21, 2025. For those wondering what to expect, the film’s director says Wicked: Part Two is all about consequences.
- Release Date
- November 22, 2024
- Cast
- Cynthia Erivo , Ariana Grande , Michelle Yeoh , Jeff Goldblum , Jonathan Bailey , Ethan Slater , Marissa Bode , Bowen Yang , Bronwyn James , Keala Settle , Peter Dinklage , Aaron Teoh , Grecia De la Paz , Colin Michael Carmichael , Adam James , Andy Nyman , Courtney Mae-Briggs , Sharon D. Clarke , Jenna Boyd
- Runtime
- 160 Minutes
