Lucy Durack as Glinda and Amanda Harrison as Elphaba in "Wicked" in Sydney in 2009.

Story highlights

The producer says movie based on hit Broadway show could come in 2016

The "Wizard of Oz" prequel focuses on witches Glinda and Elphaba

The producer says there's a high bar for the film

CNN  — 

Before the world was obsessed with the magic of “Frozen,” there was “Wicked.” And now that musical may be coming to the big screen next year.

Producer Marc Platt of “Into the Woods” – itself a movie based on a hit Broadway play – told Film Divider that a “Wicked” film could come in 2016, “but it’s not set in stone.”

“The process of developing that movie has begun. We’re working on it, and whether it makes 2016 or not, I’m not so sure,” Platt said. The hit Broadway show, based on the 1995 novel “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” by Gregory Maguire, is a prequel to “The Wizard of Oz.”

In 2004, the musical earned future “Frozen” star Idina Menzel a Tony for best leading actress in a musical for her portrayal of the witch Elphaba. Costar Kristin Chenoweth was also nominated for her work as the good witch, Glinda.

Platt said the creators of the musical want to take their time with the film, as they have set the bar very high for a big-screen adaption. Stephen Schwartz wrote the music and lyrics for the play, with dialogue by Winnie Holzman, who Platt said is currently writing the movie script.

“Audiences enjoy that show so much that we are intending to move forward on the movie but aren’t going to do so until we’re satisfied in the material we have as a screenplay, and that the film will be every bit as satisfying as what we have on the stage.”

So before you get ready to defy gravity, know that Platt is advising fans to patience.

“It took 27 years to make ‘Into the Woods’ into a film from its original stage production, and 30 years with ‘Les Mis,’ ” he said. “Some things take time for a reason.”