The first part of Wicked has been a big hit at the box office, and after part two releases this year, director Jon M. Chu will be diving into your childhood.
When you direct a film that ends up as successful as Wicked – which has taken home an impressive $717 million at the box office on a $150 million budget – you can probably end up taking any project you want! Perhaps Chu would be interested in adapting another big musical, or even just have his hand at The Wizard of Oz? Nope! As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Chu’s next film is set to be an animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ Oh, The Places You’ll Go!, which in this version will apparently follow a “young adventurer navigating the ups and downs of life.” Chu won’t be helming the project on his own, though, as Jill Culton (Open Season, Monsters, Inc.) will be serving as co-director alongside him.
Penning the screenplay is Rob Lieber, best known as the writer of 2018’s Peter Rabbit and Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween, and also of the upcoming Karate Kid: Legends. It seems like Oh, The Places You’ll Go! will also be a musical, as EGOT winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul are composing original songs for it – they’re best known for writing the music and lyrics for Dear Evan Hansen, as well as Disney’s 2019 version of Aladdin and the upcoming Snow White remake.
Oh, The Places You’ll Go! isn’t obviously as well known as titles like The Cat in the Hat or Horton Hears a Who!, but it is still the usual kind of thing you can expect from the author (it was also the last book he ever released before his death in 1991). Don’t expect it for quite a while though, as it currently has a release year of 2028 – I’m sure Wicked part two will keep you plenty occupied.