After watchingWicked, fans will want to check out the two movies that helped pave the way for Jon M. Chu’s highly anticipated adaptation of Stephen Schwartz’s beloved Broadway musical.Reviews forWickedpraise the director’s glamorous and affecting theatrical vision which, paired with its visuals, costumes, acting, and musical performances, is perfectly suited for the big screen. Chu’s experience directing another acclaimed Broadway cinematic adaptation explains his skill in creating choreographed scenes that palpate with emotion inWicked.
Additionally, Chu’s major romantic comedy hit from seven years ago displayed popping visuals, larger-than-life characters, witty dialogue, and plenty of heart — all of which are masterfully used again byWickedand its cast. Both movies demonstrate the creator’s ambition to direct universally resonant stories told from unfavored points of view, acting as the right stepping stone beforeWicked’s tear-inducing ending and darker sequel setup.Wicked’s iconic style combines the best ofJon M. Chu’s past directorial accomplishments with two of his acclaimed adaptations.
Jon M. Chu Directed Crazy Rich Asians & In The Heights Before Wicked
Jon M. Chu Stood Out As A Visionary For His Striking Visuals And Celebratory Representation
Prior toJon M. Chu developingWicked: Part I, two movies helped cement his popular signature style as one of the most influential visionaries in modern Hollywood.WithCrazy Rich AsiansandIn The Heights, the director realized a uniquely personal vision— successfully provoking a massive rom-com cultural phenomenon and bringing Broadway stage magic to the big screen. For its part,Crazy Rich Asiansintroduced Western viewers to the world of Singapore’s elite, marked by opulence and tradition, by making it the enemy to a humble outsider rooting for love and community.
Crazy Rich Asiansis based on Kevin Kwan’s best-selling novel.
The 2018 hit has been celebrated for its lush production design and heartfelt story, giving way to theCrazy Rich AsiansHBO TV show. Later, the director adaptedIn The Heights— honoring the narrative’s musical origins while brilliantly expanding on its alluring characters. Since then,Chu has maintained a highly nuanced storytelling practice capable of creating new industry trendsthat excite a craving for wider representation across genres. He is known for creating, respectively, the first Hollywood rom-com with an all-Asian cast, and the first musical adaptation celebrating rich Latino music and immigrant experiences.
Crazy Rich Asians Helped Jon M. Chu Learn How To Work With Glamorous Visuals
Jon M. Chu Gives Visuals An Emotional Narrative Weight In His Movies
One ofMichelle Yeoh’s best movies,Crazy Rich Asians,was a worldwide success and marked a defining moment in Jon M. Chu’s career — featuring a grandiose and visually striking style that didn’t overshadow the story but worked to enhance it. Previously, Chan had explored this balance between visual spectacle and narrative inNow You See Me 2, creating sleek scenes that emerged as intricate magic tricks with narrative weight. However,inCrazy Rich Asians, Chu took visual storytelling to new heights, utilizing lavish parties and stunning mansions as a tool to explore themes, conflict, and cultural nuances.
Wicked 2’s Title Change Suggests A Bigger Future For The Franchise Than Initially Planned
Wicked: For Good is going to finish telling the story of Elphaba and Glinda, but the film’s title hints at a larger future for the Wicked franchise.
Crazy Rich Asians’ jaw-dropping wedding scene, with its water-filled aisle and floral arrangements, has become a staple of the movie’s unique aesthetic — as it paves the way for the climax via the most perfect homage to culture and traditions. Chu’s experience withgiving emotional stakes to luxurious imagery in the narrative proved key as he now tacklesWicked. In light ofWicked’s confusing connection toThe Wizard of Oz, Chu offers a fantastical setting meant to create dissonance with the Oznians’ oppressive nature, and it masterfully intertwines with the affecting message that evil is made, not born or apparent.
In The Heights Gave Jon M. Chu Movie Musical Experience
Wicked Demonstrates Jon M. Chu’s Experience And Genre-Bending Spirit
Jon M. Chu solidified hisability to transform Broadway productions into rich cinematic experiences withIn The Heights, which features several ofLin-Manuel Miranda’s best songs. The Tony award-winning Broadway musical proved a perfect fit for Chu’s talents — inspiring him to use cinematic tools to craft and blend unstoppable choreographies, an idyllic summertime setting, and motivating Latino hip-hop tunes. Through his efforts, he managed to bring to life the characteristic NYC neighborhood and give meaningful expression to big and little details of the context of the dreamers at the center of the story.
In The Heights’ 94% Rotten Tomatoes score speaks for its ability to captivate both musical fans and diverse audiences through its celebration of Latino culture and community. The cumulative experience of working onCrazy Rich AsiansandIn the Heightsprepared Jon M. Chu for his grandWickedadaptation — training him in utilizing music, movement, and art design to investigate the people, traditions, and genres behindWicked’s original text. Additionally, he continues to develop an astonishing filmography that centers on outcast characters who manage to find beauty, song, and love all around them.
Crazy Rich Asians
Cast
Based on the global best-selling series Crazy Rich Asians is a romantic comedy that follows New York Rachel Chu to Singapore to meet her boyfriend’s family. However, she soon discovers her significant other is hiding a secret - his family is one of the wealthiest families in Singapore - and her mother already disapproves of her and her origins. Rachel will attempt to find her place in the madness and prove her own worth to a family of unflinching prejudice.
In the Heights
Adapted for the screen from Lin Manuel Miranda’s Broadway musical of the same name, In the Heights stars Anthony Ramos as Usnavi de la Vega, a bodega owner in the New York City neighborhood of Washington Heights on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Usnavi’s daily life and the lives of the other neighborhood residents are detailed through song, set against the backdrop of a sweltering New York City summer.
