Wicked is in development to become an 8-hour mini-series on ABC, and produced by Salma Hayek, reports the New York Times.
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, the 1995 bestseller by Gregory Maguire, retells the classic Wizard of Oz story, casting Elphaba, the "wicked" witch, in the lead. The novel reveals her to be a liberal-minded, Animal-rights activist. The book is best known for being the source material for the musical Wicked. The mini-series will be based on the book, though, not the musical (sorry to disappoint, but this means no singing).
Paul Lee, president of ABC Entertainment had this to say about the possible series: "It's sort of a fabulous idea. It's epic. It's romantic, very much within [ABC's] brand."
While the idea of Wicked will be exciting to a large portion of viewers already familiar with the story, the mini-series format is a huge step for TV programming. Mr. Lee has experience in British television, and is eager to try the shorter series lengths that are common overseas. However, he doesn't hold out hope for Wicked to jump-start the form, saying, "We haven't picked it up. We haven't seen a script."
Would you be excited to see Wicked on TV? Who would be the perfect Elphaba and Galinda/Glinda, especially since they will not be required to sing?
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