‘Wicked’ Director Jon M. Chu Talks Creating “Accessibility In Oz” For Disabled Character

deadline.com:

As Jon M. Chu takes on the cinematic event of the year, he’s keeping accessibility in mind. The Wicked director recently discussed creating “a fantastical world with a wheelchair user in mind” on the set of his feature adaptation of Gregory Maguire’s 1995 book and the Tony-winning Broadway musical, which features a handicap-accessible Ozdust Ballroom.

In the musical, Elphaba’s (Cynthia Erivo) younger sister Nessarose Thropp (portrayed by Marissa Bode) is a paraplegic, who later becomes the Wicked Witch of the East, ruler of Munchkinland.

Galinda (Ariana Grande) ultimately enchants Nessarose’s silver shoes to give her the ability to walk. Chu told Entertainment Weekly that creating the set was “one of the most enlightening and beautiful processes I’ve ever gone through,” adding, “You need accessibility, not just when we’re on set behind the scenes, but you need to present accessibility in Oz itself.” In the interview, Chu also explained that although the adaptation will be released in two parts, he wants each to be able to stand on its own, therefore hasn’t given them a ‘Part 1’ or ‘Part 2’ label. “This isn’t half the homework,” said Chu. “If we were going to split it into two, we need to make sure that movie one is emotionally satisfying and by the end, you feel like that was a f—ing movie.

I don’t like movies where you leave and feel like, ‘Well, I’ve got to wait for the next one.’ This should leave you with the highest of highs and so connected to these women.” Chu was tapped to direct the Universal film adaptation back in 2021.