George Lucas joins forces with Judy Garland’s daughter to tell Jon M. Chu what they really thought of ‘Wicked’

The film adaptation of Wicked made everyone’s final months of 2024 a little brighter and more magical. And George Lucas and Judy Garland’s daughter Lorna Luft can be counted among the fantastic movie’s growing number of devotees.

Director Jon M. Chu shared with CBS Mornings that Lucas phoned him after watching the movie at a mall and said, “I see all the elements in that movie. I know how hard it is to pull it all together.”

That would be amazing enough, but, according to Variety, Luft wrote Cynthia Ervio and Ariana Grande a letter sharing how much she loved Wicked. Luft called it “astounding!” and “epic, brilliant, touching and honest.” She also wrote, “I told the genius director Jon M. Chu that he had picked up the torch, the broom and the wand, and carried it forward.”

Chu gave more details about the touching experience when speaking on CBS Mornings as it’s sweet and wonderful to see “creative leaders who actually reach out.” It sometimes feels like all legendary filmmakers do is complain, like when Martin Scorsese said of Marvel films, “that’s not cinema” and compared them to “theme parks.” Why not choose to see the good in every kind of movie and celebrate the artists who are working in the medium today instead of being so critical? In a time when strangers brutally argue in the comments sections of social media and it can seem easier to be negative, it’s beautiful to hear such unabashed praise for a brilliant filmmaker.

If there is one person in Hollywood who knows what it’s like to hear their work criticized, it’s got to be Lucas. Fans debate every single film in the franchise and describe some entries as fantastic and others as poor excuses for movies. Lucas also has strong thoughts about filmmaking: as he said at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2024, “I’m a firm believer that the director, or the writer, or the filmmaker should have a right to have his movie be the way he wants.”

Of course, it’s also important to hear Luft’s review of Wicked since it’s a new story adapted from the novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which is inspired by The Wizard of Oz. Considering how the original movie cemented Garland as a star that no one would ever forget, it was hard not to be curious how Luft would receive Wicked. She has been positive about the stage musical, and it’s great to hear that she feels the same way about the movie. As Luft told SF Weekly, “I’m protective of The Wizard of Oz, but when shows are done with the love and respect for the story, I think it’s great.” That should be a lesson for any artist adapting work or taking on a remake.

After putting so much blood, sweat, and tears into Wicked, it must have been so gratifying for Chu to hear these sweet words. As he explained to Deadline, he knew what he had to focus on in the adaptation: “It’s the girls, stupid. That’s what people fell in love with.”

Now that it’s clear that everyone loves Wicked, from the Star Wars director to Dorothy’s daughter herself, the movie needs to win all the Oscars in March 2025.