Photo: Universal Pictures
Get ready, because the epic second instalment of Wicked is almost here. Set to hit screens on Thursday, Wicked: For Good will bring fans the same star-studded cast, big musical numbers and jaw-dropping sets that earned the film a whopping $250 million at the box office, two Academy Awards and the title of most successful Broadway film adaptation of all time.
Directed by Jon M. Chu and starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, the cinematic retelling of the hit musical wows in every aspect, but particularly in terms of its set design and world-building. In the first film, Chu introduces us to a breathtakingly grand and enchanting Oz, with soaring ceilings and curvaceous architecture; the same Oz that was created from an approximately $230 million budget.
Here, we take a look at the creation of Oz, from film locations to the film’s production designer, and marvel at Wicked‘s incredible set design.
Where were Wicked and Wicked: For Good filmed?
The magical world of Oz was largely created within Sky Studios Elstree in Hertfordshire, London, which is also where the upcoming Wuthering Heights movie was filmed. In creating the grandiose world of Oz, production took over all of Sky Studios’ 13 sound stages, as well as another six at the nearby Leavesden Studios – where all the Harry Potter movies were filmed – according to Radio Times. A further three back lots were also built to create exterior sets, with their construction taking up to five months.
Other film locations include the small English village of Ivinghoe, where Munchkinland was created, as well as a nursery in Norfolk, where nine million tulips were planted for Munchkinland.
Who designed the sets of Wicked and Wicked: For Good?
British production designer Nathan Crowley designed the jaw-dropping sets of Wicked and Wicked: For Good, and cited Wicked as easily the largest film he’s ever worked on. And, as impossibly grand as Oz appears in the film, the set was created, mostly, without CGI.
All in all, the creation of Oz took around six to seven months and a crew of around 1000 people, with the film’s sets spanning 19 sound stages and three giant back lots.
Crowley, who was behind the set design of The Dark Knight and Interstellar, imbued Oz with Americana-style retro-futurism in the form of colossal animatronics and curvaceous details, as exemplified by the 32-tonne steamer train, the Emerald City Express.
“The Wizard of Oz is an American fairy tale, so you need America in it,” he told Radio Times. “A big train in an endless Midwestern barley field is a very American image, so then I was in the business of growing barley as well!”
Where can I watch the trailer for Wicked: For Good?
You can watch the finale trailer for Wicked: For Good here.
When does Wicked: For Good come out?
Wicked: For Good is set to be released on Thursday, November 20, here in Australia, although some cinemas are offering advance screenings on Wednesday, November 19.
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