Wicked director Jon M. Chu drops Bluey bombshell, promises to make a movie in Sydney

Wicked director Jon M. Chu has lifted the lid on why he has never made a film in Australia, promising he will bring a project to Sydney sooner rather than later. Exclusive interview and watch the trailer here.

Hollywood director Jon M. Chu is proud he didn’t succumb to pressure and expectations in delivering a taste of his latest big screen effort, Wicked.

With the first official trailer dropping, Chu has revealed the movie was nearly made in Australia.

“With Wicked even, there was an option possibly to do it there,” Chu told The Daily Telegraph.

Cynthia Erivo is Elphaba and Ariana Granda is Glinda in Wicked, directed by Jon M. Chu.

“It was all about stage space to be honest in the end so we went where the stage spaces were. I know I will shoot there, I have been all around the world to shoot and never in Sydney. “One day, I promise, as long as the spiders don’t kill me I will be good.”

Joking, the father of four with a fifth on the way added: “I can’t wait to make a Bluey movie there.”

Production ultimately took place in the UK but they were also looking at Atlanta in the US.

Wicked is the much anticipated film adaptation of the stage musical of the same name that is itself based on the 1995 book by Gregory Maguire.

The first in the two-part film adaptation is scheduled for release November 28 with the second for around the same time next year.

Director Jon M. Chu with Cynthia Erivo (as Elphaba) and Ariana Grande (as Glinda) on the set of Wicked.

Cynthia Erivo is Elphaba the Wicked Witch of the West and Ariana Grande as Glinda the Good, with Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Peter Dinklage, Keala Settle and Jonathan Bailey also in the cast.

Chu conceded adapting a tome with a legion of fans globally comes with much pressure.

“I always feel it but I think that I have come to a point in my career where I can only give it my best and I have enough confidence in my abilities,” he said. “We all linked arms and said we have to be bold, we cannot just do what everyone is expecting and yet we have to honour the thing that we already were in love with, the show. We knew we were the right people and we just had to give each other enough confidence to take swings when we needed to take swings.”

Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Yeoh in Wicked.

Jonathan Bailey is Fiyero in Wicked.

He added: “I am very proud of the movie now, that the fear did not get in the way to perform what we needed to do.”

Chu has been a game changing director in Hollywood over the past decade. His film Crazy Rich Asians set about a major push for more diversity and representation on the small and big screen.

“Crazy Rich Asians 2, it is a hard one and we are not going to do it unless it meets a certain level,” he said. “We are not bringing back all of our friends unless it is better than ever so it might take a second so we will see.”

Cynthia Erivo (as Elphaba), Director Jon M. Chu, and Ariana Granda (as Glinda) on the set of Wicked.