Demi Moore
Demi Moore's production company Moving Pictures bought the rights to Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West and brought the film to Universal Pictures in the 1990s, according to producer Marc Platt.
Moore's producing partner Suzanne Todd confirmed the Ghost star wanted to play a lead in the film—either Glinda the Good Witch or Elphaba the Wicked Witch—telling Vanity Fair in December 2024, "I think on different days she could do either, but in the moment it was definitely for Elphaba."
Whoopi Goldberg
Moore wasn't the only one actively pursuing the rights to Wicked. According to Maguire, Whoopi Goldberg was also interested in a film adaptation.
"Whoopi Goldberg's manager wanted to buy it for her," Todd added. "But I really wanted it."
"This is true," Whoopi's publicist Brad Cafarelli told Vanity Fair. "Whoopi loved the book and tried hard to get the rights."
Claire Danes
Fresh off the now cult-classic My So-Called Life, Claire Danes expressed interest in a movie within the first six months of the book's release in the ‘90s, as Maguire recalled.
Salma Hayek
According to Maguire, Salma Hayek "had had some interest" in working on a movie version as well, although he was not sure if she intended to play the part of Elphaba.
Laurie Metcalf
The Roseanne alum—who was also one of the original members of Chicago's famed Steppenwolf Theatre Company—also showed interest, Maguire confirmed to Vanity Fair, noting that he also wasn't sure which role she was looking to portray.
Michelle Pfeiffer
Once Moore's Moving Pictures was granted the rights in the 1990s, they began working on a screenplay and creating their wish list of actors.
According to Todd, they never got to the point of casting the character of Glinda, but Michelle Pfeiffer was on the wish list.
Emma Thompson
Also on Todd and Moore's list for Glinda? Emma Thompson, who was on her way to winning an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for 1995's Sense and Sensibility.
Nicole Kidman
Another actress that Todd confirmed was "top of mind" for the role of Glinda was Nicole Kidman, who was fresh off 1995's Batman Forever.