George Lucas called Jon M. Chu to immediately after seeing Wicked to praise him for the enchanting adaptation

Jon M. Chu says he got a call from George Lucas to praise his work on Wicked after the Star Wars director saw the film at a local mall.

Many people have quickly congratulated Jon M. Chu for his silver-screen adaptation of Gregory Maguire’s Wicked, though one instance of praise is sure to rise above the rest. According to Chu, none other than Star Wars mastermind George Lucas called him to say how much he enjoyed Wicked. Speaking with CBS Mornings, Chu said Lucas called him from a mall to express his adoration for the film.

“He was still at the mall where he’d just seen the movie. He couldn’t have been more kind,” Chu said. “He’s like, ‘I see all the elements in that movie. I know how hard it is to pull it all together.’”

Chu added, “It’s so nice when you see leaders like that, creative leaders who actually reach out. I didn’t know that happened and are just so kind and say we’re doing this together.”

Wicked is a box office sensation, with $571.3M worldwide, making the musical one of 2024’s most successful and talked-about films. The film stands a good chance of being nominated for several Oscars in the upcoming awards ceremony, and the holiday rush at cinemas is about to heat up. While Sonic the Hedgehog 3, A Complete Uknown, Nosferatu, Moana 2, Babygirl, and Mufasa: The Lion King will take a portion of the holiday earnings, I could see Wicked picking up some additional millions as families visit theaters for the holidays.

The three-time Tony Award-winning stage musical was adapted from Gregory Maguire’s bestselling novel by writer Winnie Holzman and composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz, who collaborated on the screenplay adaptation. The story explains how a green-skinned woman framed by the Wizard of Oz becomes the Wicked Witch of the West. Maguire’s yarn is the ultimate fairy tale origin story and could have you rooting for the villain by the time it’s all over.

Do you think Jon M. Chu was freaking out when he saw he had a random phone call coming in from George Lucas? Do you plan to make Wicked a part of your holiday? Do you tend to go to the movies during the Christmas break, or is it easier to stay home? I want to see Nosferatu on Christmas Day, but it might be hard to sneak away with so many family members milling about. We’ll see.

About the Author

Born and raised in New York, then immigrated to Canada, Steve Seigh has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. He started with Ink & Pixel, a column celebrating the magic and evolution of animation, before launching the companion YouTube series Animation Movies Revisited. He’s also the host of the Talking Comics Podcast, a personality-driven audio show focusing on comic books, film, music, and more. You’ll rarely catch him without headphones on his head and pancakes on his breath.