NBCUniversal is getting the whole family involved in “Wicked.” Ahead of the anticipated movie’s premiere in November, NBC will air “Defying Gravity: The Curtain Rises on Wicked,” an hourlong special that will debut on the broadcast network.
The telecast will premiere on NBC on Nov. 19, three days before “Wicked” hits theaters. It will then be available to stream on Peacock the following day. It will include a new scene from the upcoming movie that audiences can only see in the behind-the-scenes special.
Stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande will lead audiences on a journey through Oz, as the special was filmed on the Emerald City set and includes several members of the movie’s star-studded cast sharing personal memories, video diaries and secrets about their personal journeys through the making of the film. In addition to Grande and Erivo, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang and Marissa Bode will also appear in the special.
“Defying Gravity: The Curtain Rises on Wicked” is produced by Monkey, which is part of Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group. Rob Bagshaw and Andy Charles Smith serve as the executive producers of the special for Monkey. NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution is handling international sales.
Based on the Tony-winning musical of the same name by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman, the upcoming “Wicked” movie is an expanded adaptation of Gregory Maguire’s original novel of the same name. This first movie follows the first act of the musical. Before she became the Wicked Witch of the West, the green-skinned Elphaba (Erivo) was a student at Shiz University. The movie will follow her unlikely friendship and later rivalry with Galinda Upland (Grande), who later becomes Glinda the Good. This first installment was directed by Jon M. Chu, who is best known for his work on “Crazy Rich Asians.”
