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Director Reveals Controversial Changes to "As Long As You're Mine" in "Wicked: For Good"
17 Oct
Summary
- Upcoming "Wicked" film adaptation alters iconic love song "As Long As You're Mine"
- Director Jon M. Chu says the song now features "hesitation" instead of passion
- Broadway version's intimate, sensual staging replaced with more subdued approach
In the highly anticipated film adaptation of the hit musical "Wicked," set to release on November 21, 2025, director Jon M. Chu has revealed a controversial change to one of the show's most beloved songs. The romantic duet "As Long As You're Mine," which in the Broadway version features Elphaba and Fiyero professing their love through intimate physical and vocal intertwining, will now be presented in a more subdued manner.
Chu told Deadline during the BFI London Film Festival that in the movie, Fiyero will spend much of the song distracted by Ozian propaganda, only briefly looking at Elphaba and saying "You're beautiful." The director claims this "intimacy" will make the song "feel more sensual," despite the lack of the original's passionate embraces and kisses.
Fans of the musical are outraged by this change, arguing that "As Long As You're Mine" is fundamentally about physical and sexual awakening, not just emotional connection. The song's melody and harmonies are designed to mirror the characters' bodies intertwining, culminating in Elphaba's line "For the first time, I feel...wicked" - a clear reference to her newfound sexual pleasure. Chu's tamer interpretation, they say, deprives audiences of this crucial cinematic moment.
With the film's release just over a year away, it remains to be seen whether the director's vision for a more reserved "As Long As You're Mine" will be well-received by the passionate "Wicked" fanbase.
