‘Wicked’ Had 10 Days Left of Filming Before Strike Shut Down Production, Says Stephen Schwartz
Jaden Thompson “Wicked” composer Stephen Schwartz confirmed in an interview with Variety that production was shut down with just 10 days remaining to complete filming for Parts 1 and 2 of the film adaptation. Schwartz wrote the music and lyrics for the original musical and collaborated again with book writer Winnie Holzman for the film adaptation, which stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda. While Schwartz acknowledged that the timing was frustrating, he also expressed his solidarity with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. “It’s quite frustrating in a way because we have, I think, 10 days worth of shooting to go finish all the shooting for both movies…But on the other hand, I might as well declare it, I’m in great sympathy and support of the unions that are striking,” he said.