Posts with the label Movie Musical
Showing posts with label Movie Musical. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Movie Musical. Show all posts
Monday, 20 October 2025
Colman Domingo Joins Wicked: For Good as the Cowardly Lion
It’s official: Colman Domingo will roar into the Land of Oz. The Oscar, Tony, Olivier, and BAFTA nominated performer has been confirmed to voice the Cowardly Lion in Wicked: For Good, the highly anticipated second instalment of Jon M. Chu’s two-part film adaptation of the beloved stage musical, Wicked.
The announcement was made on Instagram, in a playful reveal video featuring Domingo surrounded by the Wicked x Squishmallows collaboration plush of his new character.
In the stage musical, the Cowardly Lion is only briefly mentioned and never appears onstage, but Chu has promised that Wicked: For Good will expand the role, giving fans a fresh look at one of Oz’s most iconic figures. The reveal comes after weeks of speculation, following Chu’s tease that a “major name” would lend their voice to the role.
Wicked: For Good continues the story from the first Wicked film, which soars into cinemas this November. Ariana Grande stars as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, leading a star-studded cast that also includes Jonathan Bailey (Company, Bridgerton) as Fiyero, Ethan Slater (SpongeBob SquarePants) as Boq, Peter Dinklage as Dr. Dillamond, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard, and Marissa Bode as Nessarose.
Additional cast members include Keala Settle, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Aaron Teoh, and Colin Michael Carmichael, bringing to life new and familiar faces within the world of Shiz University.
Directed by Jon M. Chu (In the Heights), the film features new songs by Stephen Schwartz and a screenplay by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox. Costume design is by Tony winner Paul Tazewell, whose work promises to bring a cinematic richness to the fantasy world of Oz.
Wicked, which reimagines the story behind The Wizard of Oz, premiered on Broadway in 2003 and remains one of the most beloved musical theatre productions in history. With this new casting, the film’s journey down the yellow brick road just got even more exciting.
Wicked: For Good hits cinemas 21 November 2025. Tickets are on sale now.
Sunday, 3 May 2020
The Return of the Movie Musical
During the Golden Age of Hollywood, movie musicals were abundant and arguably the most popular genre. However, with the move towards pop culture in the 1960s, their popularity dwindled and gave way to a more rebellious style and tone, which meant the all-singing, all-dancing, wholesome stories fell to the side.
Since then, aside from animated films, there have been a handful of live action musicals, with a few big hits such as Hairspray, Chicago and Mamma Mia!, but these have been largely hard to come by and a rare feature at the cinema. However, it seems that things are changing and we are in the midst of musicals coming back into the mainstream!
In some ways, the huge success of La La Land in 2016, a film which combined Old Hollywood with contemporary vibes, marked the return of movie musicals, with A Star is Born, Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman following in its footsteps and taking the box offices by storm. Disney's live action adaptations have also proved massive hits with Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King making huge profits. Of course there's also been the occasional flop... Cats.... (which I actually enjoyed) but on the whole, each release has highlighted the demand and appreciation for musical theatre.
It seems that Hollywood are finally taking note of the power of theatre people and are giving us the sweet, sweet, high quality films we deserve. There are a whole host of movie musicals in the works which are hugely exciting. Some that I'm most looking forward to are:
In The Heights: This is my all time favourite musical and I just can't wait for the summer vibes, incredible music and general wonder of Heights to be played out on the big screen. The film was originally set for release next month but thanks to Miss Rona it's been pushed back to June 2021.
Everybody's Talking About Jamie: This brilliantly British musical is set for release in October and is sure to thrill as it tells the real-life story of Jamie New, the 17 year old drag queen who wants to go against the norm and be true to himself. We'll also get the chance to see wonderful Max Harwood take on the lead role which will be a real treat.
West Side Story: In what's sure to be another 'Star is Born' performance, Rachel Zegler will be starring as Maria in this Stephen Spielberg adaptation. The production photos that have been released so far look amazing and I cannot wait to see this sumptuous film.
The Prom: I saw this show on Broadway so it'll be wonderful and interesting to see a film version. I think this will transfer brilliantly; plus, Meryl Streep is set to star in it so it's already a win in my eyes.
Matilda: The original Matilda film is a complete classic that will always be a heartwarming treat and the musical evokes the same magical and wondrous vibes. Tim Minchin's music is so clever and will no doubt get us all tapping our feet in the cinema!
Merrily We Roll Along: Ben Platt. Beanie Feldstein. Filmed over 20 years. Okay so this isn't going to be out in the near future but I just can't wait to eventually see this movie. The whole concept sounds so exciting and the cast are absolutely stellar.
As well as these there are more live action adaptations in the works as well as a number of current Broadway musicals being transferred from stage to screen. These include Dear Evan Hansen, Tick, Tick... Boom! and Come From Away. All in all, it seems that we can expect a whole lot more musicals in the mainstream and I cannot wait! What upcoming movie musical are you excited to see?
Post by Olivia Mitchell
Post by Olivia Mitchell
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