Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg & More Stars Considered for Wicked

As a die-hard fan of musical theater and an ardent admirer of the rich tapestry of talent that graces our silver screens, I find myself utterly captivated by this fascinating glimpse into the early days of the Wicked saga. It’s truly awe-inspiring to witness the myriad of accomplished actresses who were drawn to the allure of bringing these iconic characters to life on the big screen.

Let’s take the yellow brick road to the Wicked movie that might have been.

While the movie musical starring Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo and Jonathan Bailey based on the 2003 Broadway hit is currently captivating movie audiences, there was almost a very different version made in the mid-1990s, which more closely followed the original source material, Gregory Maguire‘s 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.

Back in 1996, when Marc Platt became part of Universal Pictures, there were already plans for a film adaptation of the musical “Wicked” that were already in motion.

In a recent interview with Vanity Fair (December 19th), he mentioned that while I can’t guarantee the exact timeline, as I recall, I was serving as Universal’s president of production when the project had already been initiated. Interestingly, it seems Demi Moore’s company initially optioned it beforehand.

As stated by author Maguire, there was intense competition among various actors eager to bring the book to the big screen. Specifically, he mentioned that Whoopi Goldberg had shown early interest within the first half of the year.

But when he heard that Moore wanted to make the movie, Maguire was quickly on board.

Referencing the well-known Annie Leibovitz photoshoot from 1991, Maguire jokingly remarked, “I would often say, I could picture Demi Moore bare and glowing on the cover of Vanity Fair.

Moore’s firm, Moving Pictures, obtained the rights, and Moore expressed interest in portraying a key character, as affirmed by her producing partner Suzanne Todd.

Todd clarified that on various occasions, Moore can perform as either character, but at that specific instance, it was undoubtedly for Elphaba.

And while they never got the point of casting Glinda, Todd said they did have several actresses “top of mind,” including Nicole Kidman.

Additionally, she affirmed that there was a brief, rumbling sensation which indicated that director Robert Zemeckis might be involved with the project. However, she clarified that she had never communicated directly with him regarding this potential involvement.

Over the next few years, multiple screenwriters took stabs at a screenplay for a non-musical film adaptation from the book, with Platt and Maguire recalling that the strongest version came from Linda Woolverton, who wrote several Disney movies, including 1991’s Beauty and the Beast, 1994’s The Lion King and 1998’s Mulan.

And it was apparently Woolverton who at one point suggested adding songs into the film.

Todd mentioned that it was Linda who had a strong desire to create a musical. Her inspiration stemmed from her job at Disney, where she had previously contributed to the musical adaptations of their animated films as well.

Notably, Stephen Schwartz, a renowned figure in Broadway known for his compositions, recognized the possibility of a musical adaptation himself and presented the concept to Platt. From that moment onwards, history was set in motion.

For a full breakdown on everyone who was almost cast in Wicked, keep reading.

In the 1990s, Demi Moore’s production company, Moving Pictures, acquired the rights for Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” and subsequently took it to Universal Pictures. This information was shared by producer Marc Platt.

Moore’s producing partner Suzanne Todd verified that the star of Ghost had expressed interest in playing a lead role in the film. This could be either Glinda the Good Witch or Elphaba the Wicked Witch. Todd shared with Vanity Fair in December 2024, “On different days, she might have chosen either role, but at that particular time, it was definitely for Elphaba.

Apart from Moore, it was also reported that Whoopi Goldberg had expressed interest in obtaining the rights for the adaptation of Wicked. This is according to Maguire’s account.

“Whoopi Goldberg’s manager wanted to buy it for her,” Todd added. “But I really wanted it.”

Brad Cafarelli, Whoopi’s publicist, confirmed to Vanity Fair that this statement is accurate. Whoopi Goldberg was deeply fond of the book and made significant efforts to obtain the rights for it.

Following her role in the now iconic series “My So-Called Life,” Claire Danes showed an early interest in a film project around the same time the book was published in the ’90s, as Maguire recounted later on.

As Maguire mentioned, Salma Hayek had expressed some curiosity about being involved in a film adaptation, though it remained uncertain whether she planned to portray the character Elphaba.

The actress from the show “Roseanne” – a former member of the renowned Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago – expressed interest, as confirmed by Maguire to Vanity Fair. However, it is unclear which character she hoped to play.

In the 1990s, when the rights for Moore’s Moving Pictures were secured, they embarked on writing a script and compiling their dream cast of actors.

As a die-hard fan, I can’t help but share that, according to Todd, our beloved Glinda’s casting didn’t quite materialize. However, Michelle Pfeiffer was undoubtedly someone they aspired to bring into the picture.

Additionally, Emma Thompson is included in Todd and Moore’s list for Glinda. She was well on her path to winning an Oscar for the Best Adapted Screenplay category for the 1995 film, “Sense and Sensibility.

A different actress that Todd mentioned as strongly considered for the part of Glinda was Nicole Kidman, who had recently starred in the 1995 film “Batman Forever.

2024-12-21 06:17

Read More