Stephen Daldry steps down as director of Wicked film

Stephen Daldry departs as director of Wicked movie adaptation

The news comes as no surprise. Citing scheduling conflicts as his reason for leaving the project, Daldry is in high demand as a director both on stage and off, and recently was nominated for a Tony Award for his work on the play The Inheritance.

The film's distributor Universal quietly removed Wicked from its release schedule. The movie was originally meant to be released around Christmas time in 2021. A replacement director has yet to be confirmed.

The film is bound to be a popular outing, regardless of when it hits the silver screen, and will undoubtedly become a box office smash.

Wicked The Musical still booking in London's West End

The Wicked film might have an uncertain future but the West End stage musical that it's adapted from is still slated to return to the Apollo Victoria stage. Now in its 15th year, Wicked The Musical is based on Gregory Maguire's book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West and features music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz.

The two-time Olivier Award-winning show was adapted for the stage by Winnie Holzman and also features direction by Joe Mantello and musical staging by Wayne Cilento. Be sure to catch it in Theatreland whilst you still can.