Wicked Movie Is More 'Intimate' Than the Stage Show, Teases Director: 'We Get to Go Closer' (Exclusive)

The Wicked movie is going to go deeper for fans than the stage production. 

The upcoming musical adaptation of Stephen Schwartz’s hit Broadway musical ⁠— which is based on the 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire ⁠— is one of the most anticipated movies of the year with its all-star cast, featuring Ariana Grande, 31, and Cynthia Erivo, 37, as lead characters Elphaba and Glinda. 

While speaking with PEOPLE in an exclusive interview about his new memoir Viewfinder, director Jon M. Chu, 44, known for his work on Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights, teases that the new movie will take its source material to new levels.

"We got deep. We got deep in there," he says. "I mean, Elphaba has a lot of wounds, but so does Glinda and we found all those with these two girls who really gave it the truth beyond the songs that we know."

Speaking of the theatrical production, which features music and lyrics by Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman, Chu calls the composer "prophetic," saying he was "so layered" in the lyrics he wrote.

"Because of the camera, because it’s not a stage show, we get to go closer," he continues. "We get to be more intimate. We get the camera two inches from their face, so we can see when they're lying, when they're not or when they're lying to themselves. And that brings a lot of power to the show that you can't have on a stage when you have to look forward to the back of the crowd."

Wicked will be released in two parts, with the first set to arrive in theaters on November 22.

The musical follows two young witches, Elphaba, who is often mistreated because of her green skin, and the popular Glinda as they meet as university students and form a close bond.

The movie also stars Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Jeff Goldblum, Bowen Yang, Keala Settle and Peter Dinklage. 

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Chu’s work with Grande on the film has spurred a tight-knit relationship, as she has supported him throughout the release of his memoir, which hit the shelves on July 23. The singer and actress hosted a virtual Q&A event for the director and his co-author Jeremy McCarter timed to the release. 

"She was so prepared. She did such a good job. She sent me a Google Doc with my questions, and it was fun to watch her just do like, homework, and I'm so happy," Chu says of Grande. "She doesn't need to do that. She gets paid so much money to do this for other people, but the fact that she did it for me means a lot. That's how close we are."

He continues to share that he also received support from his previous collaborators, including Erivo, Awkwafina, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. “Everyone's been, like, so helpful,” he shares. 

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Viewfinder follows Chu on his journey from growing up as a first-generation Chinese American in Silicon Valley, Calif., to directing some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. The memoir features numerous celebrity stories from his experiences in the industry, as well as heartfelt observations of his upbringing, family and cultural identity.

In the book, he recalls seeing the musical Wicked for the first time during its pre-Broadway run in San Francisco and relating to the character Elphaba, particularly during her Act I musical number "The Wizard and I," where she dreams of meetining The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

"That song helped me get through some very dark days. The entire show did," he writes. "I knew that somebody was going to turn it into a movie and I wanted it to be me."

Viewfinder is available for purchase now, wherever books are sold.