Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo star in Universal's highly anticipated adaptation of the long-running Broadway musical.

Chu told HuffPost’s Ellen Lee how “Wicked” transcends its magic, challenges the status quo and echoes his pursuit of the American dream beyond the “yellow brick road.”

Jon M. Chu defended the color grading in the new Wicked movie.

“There was no world where we wouldn’t invite them to come be a part of this,” director Jon M. Chu tells The Hollywood Reporter. “The question for us was, how, and how much are they willing to do in it, and how much can the story itself handle it? Because they’re such iconic people and especially to these roles.”

The Deseret News spoke with Chu Friday and asked him about his process, including how he cast beloved characters and why he split “Wicked” into two parts. Here is what he told us. This discussion has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

As reported last year, Wicked: Part Two will also feature two new songs, both composed by Stephen Schwartz, the mastermind behind the original musical. Chu reiterated this news in a recent interview with Games Radar, saying, “We get maybe a new song—or two. We get more into the meat, and the best is yet to come with these characters.”

He never doubted it would work as a movie. He just hoped he would be the one to film it: “I have my own experiences with being green.”

Jon M. Chu explains how 'Wicked' turned into two movies and how quickly he knew Ariana Grande was going to blow everyone away.

We needed to shoot for the moon.' Director Jon M. Chu decided to tackle the high-flying adaptation of 'Wicked' with a go big or go home attitude. And movie-goers responded with a resounding 'yes!'

Jon M. Chu remembers Ariana Grande's 'Wicked' auditions and explains his plans for the musical, including 'Dancing Through Life' number. Interview