Feature version of Wicked to film at Sky Studios Elstree
Sky has officially confirmed that Universal’s forthcoming feature version of the hit musical Wicked will be one of the first projects to film at the shiny new Sky Studios Elstree when it opens later this year.
Wicked centres on the untold story of the Witches of Oz and is based on the novel by Gregory Maguire.
Director Jon M. Chu is calling the shots; Marc Platt produces. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo star in the lead roles of Glinda and Elphaba, respectively.
Chu announced last month that instead of trying to condense the complex story into one feature, he plans to shoot two Wicked adaptations, to be released separately.
The confirmation came as Sky unveiled a swathe of new scripted and comedy commissions, including a third series of political thriller Cobra and a new adaptation of The Tattooist of Auschwitz.
Sky Studios Elstree is one of a tranche of new studios opening this year. When complete, it will house 13 studio spaces and enable £3bn of production investment over the first five years of operation.
Also on The Knowledge
Bernard Cornwell drama starts filming in Wales for Bad Wolf
A hefty new adaptation of Bernard Cornwell’s Warlord Chronicles begins filming in Wales this week for Bad Wolf – the company’s first major new drama commission since joining Sony Pictures Television.
Simon Russell Beale & Gemma Arterton film Kill the Light in London and Yorkshire
Principal photography has just got underway in Yorkshire and London on Kill the Light, a starry feature with Gemma Arterton, Paapa Essiedu and Simon Russell Beale on board.
Dougal Wilson to direct Paddington 3 in London and Peru
Starz drama Becoming Elizabeth used detailed period set-builds and historic filming locations
Becoming Elizabeth, a new Starz Original drama exploring the early life of Elizabeth I, filmed at Bristol’s Bottle Yard Studios and at a host of historic locations during a five-month shoot.
World Prods films ITV medical drama in Leeds
Filming gets underway this week in Leeds on Malpractice, a new, five-part ITV drama from World Productions.
C4 renews prison drama Screw
Channel 4 has renewed prison drama Screw for a second run, with Nina Sosanya and Jamie-Lee O’Donnell returning to head the cast.
