Copyright CinemaBlend
A number of movie musicals have won Best Picture over the years, and another contender might have that honor this year thanks to Jon M. Chu's Wicked: For Good. The highly anticipated sequel will hit theaters later this month, and recently got a major promotion thanks to the event Wicked: One Wonderful Night (which is streaming with a Peacock subscription). And now we know more about how Cynthia Erivo defied expectations (and gravity) when belting out the final number while flying through the air on wires. What we know about Wicked: For Good is limited, but we're getting more glimpses into the sequel as it gets closer to theaters. Fans will be treated to two new songs on the soundtrack, but the franchise's most beloved song is "Defying Gravity." Ben Winston executive produced One Wonderful Night and spoke to Golden Derby about the conversation that went into Erivo taking flight. As he told it: Perhaps this shouldn't have been so surprising. Cynthia Erivo did insane wire work filming Wicked, which has looked stunning onscreen. By comparison, she simply had to be lifted into the air for One Wonderful Night, and travel around the stage while being upright. She's no stranger to the intense physical work required, so why wouldn't she be open to flexing those muscles for the Wicked event? So how did this meeting go down? Winston went on to share how the Tony-winning star of the stage and screen responded to the suggestion of flying for Wicked: One Wonderful Night. Erivo had some concerns, as he put it: It sounds like Winston and Erivo had very different perspectives on the risks of this move, based upon their respective jobs on the Wicked franchise. While the Pinocchio actress wants to make sure she gave a good vocal performance, the exec was nervous about the star of his movie getting injured. In the end Cynthia Erivo went for it, and shocked audiences when soaring into the sky while singing "Defying Gravity" on One Wonderful Night. It's one of many memorable moments of the night, and Ben Winston shared the feeling of seeing her in the air for the first time. In his words: The marketing for Wicked: For Good is in full effect, and this type of event and spectacle should hopefully result folks going to see the sequel in theaters. The first Wicked movie broke box offie records, and also got nominated for some Oscars. The early buzz for the sequel has ben positive, and fans are eager to see the story play out with adult versions of characters like Glinda and Elphaba.
