Best of 2025: “Wicked” and “Wicked: For Good” Screenwriter Dana Fox on Her Magical Musical Theater Homecoming

It’s that time of year again—when we slow down, look back (overeat), and celebrate our favorite conversations from another surprising, often wonderful, and occasionally wild year in cinema and TV.

Screenwriter Dana Fox made a pact with director Jon M. Chu. After working with Chu on her Apple TV+ series, Home Before Dark, she told him she would sign up for a project with him, no matter what,

Best of 2025: MPA Creator Award Recipient Jon M. Chu on Authentic Storytelling and the Power of Cultural Specificity

It’s that time of year again—when we slow down, look back (overeat), and celebrate our favorite conversations from another surprising, often wonderful, and occasionally wild year in cinema and TV.

With Wicked: For Good set to complete the story that began with 2024’s blockbuster, director Jon M. Chu, the Motion Picture Association’s Creator Award recipient for 2025, continues our conversation about his evolution as a filmmaker and the power of culturally specific storytelling to reach universal audiences.

Steven Spielberg’s First Original Sci-Fi in Years: “Disclosure Day” Teaser Reveals Emily Blunt’s Chilling Alien Encounter

“If you found out we weren’t alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you?”

This is the question posed in the opening seconds of the first glimpse at Steven Spielberg’s upcoming Disclosure Day, his first original sci-fi thriller in years, which he directed from a script he co-wrote with Jurassic Park scribe David Koepp. From the unsettling opening question, we’re taken into a television studio in Kansas City,

Spoiler Special: Ethan Slater on Boq’s Cold-Hearted Transformation in “Wicked: For Good”

For Ethan Slater, who plays Boq (aka the Tin Man) in Jon M. Chu's Wicked: For Good, there’s a lot of meaning behind the glare at Glinda.

How “Wicked” & “Wicked: For Good” Editor Myron Kerstein Balanced Two Films, Two Tones, One Story

When I sat down with editor Myron Kerstein, it was immediately clear why director Jon M. Chu keeps bringing him back. Kerstein has the rare ability to blend a technical rigor with emotional intuition, a combination that has served him well on films like Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights, and now, the two-part cinematic event Wicked and Wicked: For Good.

Golden Globes: Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” Leads With 9 Nominations

Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another" leads the pack with nine Golden Globe nominations, followed by Joachim Trier's "Sentimental Value" and Ryan Coogler's "Sinners."

Michelle Yeoh’s “Flip It Around” Meme and the Costume Easter Eggs That Reveal Madam Morrible’s True Nature

“If you think about it, Madam Morrible, MM, flip it around, WW, Wicked Witch.” 

Perhaps now the most obvious hint of Madam Morrible’s true intentions is that her initials MM become WW when flipped around. This has been highlighted repeatedly in interviews by actress Michelle Yeoh, who plays Madame Morrible in Jon M. Chu‘s Wicked and Wicked: For Good, 

No Good Deed Goes Unscored: The Musical Masterminds Behind “Wicked: For Good”

"Getting to do big, exhilarating songs like "No Good Deed" was one of the greatest joys of my life," says "Wicked: For Good" executive music producer Stephen Oremus.

“Wicked: For Good” DP Alice Brooks on Harnessing Fire & Shadows to Forge an Unforgettable Finale

A wizard of color and light, cinematographer Alice Brooks knew Wicked: For Good would require a very different tone and texture from what she delivered for audiences in the first film.

The second part of the epic adaptation of the Broadway musical, itself a prequel to The Wizard of Oz and adapted from Gregory Maguire’s novel, focuses on the maelstrom surrounding Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West,

“Wicked: For Good” Review Round-Up: An Emotionally Resonant Finale With Two Unforgettable Performances

The first reactions to Jon M. Chu‘s Wicked: For Good were stellar when we reported on them back in late September. Now, the embargo for full-scale reviews has been lifted, and the critics have spoken. Chu and his team, most crucially his two mega-stars, Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda, have stuck the landing—Wicked: For Good is being hailed by most critics as even better and more emotionally resonant than the critically acclaimed blockbuster that preceded it.

Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey”: An Attempt to Break New Cinematic Ground

Christopher Nolan is no stranger to grand ambitions. He has been an advocate and early adopter of using IMAX cameras in his films, dating back to The Dark Knight (2008), his superhero masterclass, which utilized the large-format cameras for the gangbusters opening bank robbery scene. He’s been deploying the cameras ever since, even helping IMAX push their own technology further, creating newer, lighter-weight equipment.

For his latest epic,

Rachel Weisz & Brendan Fraser Are Back as Fourth “Mummy” Movie Rises From the Crypt

In case you missed the news, Rachel Weisz and Brendan Fraser are reteaming for a fourth Mummy adventure, from Scream duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (they go by the moniker Radio Silence).

Fraser and Weisz were the two biggest stars in the big reboot of The Mummy back in 1999 and went on to become a smash. The epic, directed by Stephen Sommers,

“Wicked: For Good” First Reactions: A Heartbreakingly Tender Conclusion & Major Oscar Contender

The first reactions to Jon M. Chu‘s Wicked: For Good have arrived. When we spoke to Chu and co-writer Dana Fox, Chu was putting the finishing touches on the film, while Fox, who had a chance to watch both Wicked and Wicked: For Good back-to-back (as many fans will be doing in the years to come), said the experience was overwhelming for her. 

How Director Justin Tipping Mixed Art, Nike Ads & Multiple Genres in His Singular Sports Horror Film “Him”

Supernatural sports horror film Him not only blends two hugely popular film genres but also draws inspiration from the art of Jeff Koons and Edward Hopper, as well as Nike ads from the 1990s—a blend of disparate influences that cohere into a singular cinematic experience.

Produced by visionary filmmaker Jordan Peele, a man who had made his own sui generis horror films, from Get Out to Us to Nope,

“Wicked” and “Wicked: For Good” Screenwriter Dana Fox on Her Magical Musical Theater Homecoming

Screenwriter Dana Fox made a pact with director Jon M. Chu. After working with Chu on her Apple TV+ series, Home Before Dark, she told him she would sign up for a project with him, no matter what, with no questions asked. She was as serious as a witch, if you’ll pardon the pun.

“I told him at the end of that previous job that I will drop anything,

“This Is Who I Am”: MPA Creator Award Recipient Jon M. Chu on Authentic Storytelling and the Power of Cultural Specificity – Part 2

With Wicked: For Good set to complete the story that began with 2024’s blockbuster, director Jon M. Chu, the Motion Picture Association’s Creator Award recipient for 2025, continues our conversation about his evolution as a filmmaker and the power of culturally specific storytelling to reach universal audiences.

Chu also opens up about his own fears, what he learned on the set of Now You See Me 2, and the thrill of being so close to sharing the entire two-part vision for his Wicked adaptation with the world.

MPA Creator Award Winner Jon M. Chu on the Mad, Joyous Rush of Finishing “Wicked: For Good” – Part 1

As director Jon M. Chu puts the finishing touches on Wicked: For Good, he’ll be swinging through Washington, D.C. to receive the Motion Picture Association’s Creator Award on Monday, September 8.  It’s a heady time for Chu, who, when we spoke, was en route to LAX to fly to New York (for one night) while shepherding his highly anticipated sequel through a final flurry of crucial post-production.

From “Better Call Saul” to Better Call for Backup: How Bob Odenkirk and 87North Are Redefining Action Comedy

In just six years, including five of the film industry’s most challenging periods, powerhouse filmmakers David Leitch and Kelly McCormick have founded and grown 87North Productions, making it a formidable force in Hollywood and beyond.

Anchored in the action genre, the production and action design company’s catalog includes the third and fourth John Wick movies, Bullet Train, Violent Night,

Director Gareth Edwards on Why “Jurassic World: Rebirth” Needed Real Locations & Film Stock to Capture Its Magic

Having already directed Godzilla, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and The Creator, Gareth Edwards is used to fantastical storytelling on an epic scale, as well as handling some of the biggest and best-loved IPs in the history of cinema.

Jurassic World: Rebirth, the seventh installment in the multibillion-dollar Jurassic film franchise, is one of the year’s biggest box office hits both globally and domestically.

The Willem Dafoe of Dinosaurs: How “Jurassic World: Rebirth” VFX Supervisor Charmaine Chan Created the Distortus Rex

Charmaine Chan began working at Industrial Light & Magic 18 years ago—it was her first gig out of college, starting off as an assistant technical director and contributing to Michael Bay’s Transformers. Chan stayed on at ILM and continued to work on some of the biggest franchises there are, becoming a digital compositor on Star Wars, Mission: Impossible, and films within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As her talent sustained her and her capacities grew,