‘Wicked’ Movies Pause Filming Due to SAG-AFTRA Strike
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Jon M. Chu, who is directing the Wicked movie adaptations, recently took to Twitter to clarify that the films are not yet done shooting. However, production has been paused until the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike has ended.
Wicked Movies Pause Filming During Strike
On Tuesday, The Sun reported that Ariana Grande had completed work in the UK on the Wicked movies and would be returning to California this week in the midst of her rumored split from husband Dalton Gomez.
The article added that the strike had brought filming of the adaptations to a halt, but that Grande “has finished all of her scenes and has no other commitments in the UK, so is free to fly home.”
On Wednesday, Chu took to Twitter to confirm that filming is “not done yet,” although they were “only a few days away from being done” when the strike began. He added, “It’s been very painful to put a halt to it all but we will be back! And we will finish properly strong when the time is right.”
Chu didn’t specify whether or not Grande has finished her portion of the film, in the role of Glinda. However, he did assure fans that the “release date shouldn’t be affected” by the pause in filming.
SEE ALSO: ‘WICKED’ MOVIE RELEASE DATE MOVED UP TO THANKSGIVING 2024
Not done yet. Just paused until the strike is over and we can finish the last pieces of the movie. We were only a few days away from being done so we were SO close. It’s been very painful to put a halt to it all but we will be back! And we will finish properly strong when the…
— Jon M. Chu (@jonmchu) July 19, 2023
The First Movie Will Be Released in 2024
The Wicked adaptation has gone through a few changes since Grande was first announced as a star back in 2021. Although it was initially only going to be a single film, it was announced last year that the adaptation would be split into two parts.
At first, the plan was to release the films around Christmas in 2024 and 2025. However, the release dates were updated earlier this year. The first film has been moved up to Thanksgiving week. Specifically, it’s set to be released November 27, 2024.
At the time, the release date for the second movie was still Christmas 2025. However, that changed in June of this year, when the date was changed to November 26, 2025. In both cases, the movies will come out on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
