Los Angeles, Oct 29 (IANS): Actor Jeff Goldblum in final talks to play the wizard in Jon M. Chu's upcoming 'Wicked' movies.

The latest casting news comes just over a month since Variety first reported that Fiyero will be played by "Bridgerton" star Jonathan Bailey, reports Variety.

Chu's two-part feature adaptation is headlined by Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba.

The Universal Pictures films are set for release on Christmas in 2024 and 2025.

'Wicked' is a prequel to 'The Wizard of Oz', telling the story of how Elphaba became the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch.

"We decided to give ourselves a bigger canvas and make not just one 'Wicked' movie but two!" Chu wrote in a statement when the studio announced the adaptation would come in two parts. "With more space, we can tell the story of 'Wicked' as it was meant to be told while bringing even more depth and surprise to the journeys for these beloved characters."

While walking the red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere of Disney's new 'Pinocchio' in September, Erivo shared what it's been like working with Grande.

"I love her, truly," the Tony-winner said.

"She is funny and unbelievably talented and unbelievably sweet and truly working hard. We're both working really hard together. I'm excited for both of us.

Erivo also said that she approved of expanding the stage show into two films. "I was like, 'Well alright then, I guess we've got our work set ahead of us.' It's full on," she said. "And kind of exciting, because it means that we have more of the story to tell - more room, more real estate to tell these two stories."