No matter whether it was planting a field of 9 million colorful tulips on the edge of Munchkinland or bringing the Emerald City to life without the use of CGI – the task of realizing an acclaimed musical Evil on the big screen proved to be a monumental undertaking for director Jon M. Chu (In the heights), production designer Nathan Crowley (Interstellar) and their talented manufacturing army of dedicated craftsmen in the UK.

In fact, the two-part adaptation was so large that it required the use of 17 stages across three studios as well as four large backlot sets. And if that’s not impressive enough for you, here’s another jaw-dropping tidbit straight from Oz: Two of the sets were the size of four American football fields – each!

RELATED: Wicked: Everything You Should Know About Costumes and Makeup for Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo

“These expansive, practical sets – many measuring up to 15 meters high and covering the entire stage area – enabled 360-degree filming with minimal blue screen work,” Universal Pictures’ official production notes state. “This approach gave (cinematographer Alice) Brooks exceptional freedom in lighting real, tangible spaces and increased the visual authenticity and scale of the film.”

Where was Evil filmed?

Accordingly Time out, EvilThe main filming location of was Sky Studios Elstree, just outside London, with congestion requiring recording studios at nearby Elstree Studios and Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden – the latter long serving as the home of Harry Potter Films. The stages were, of course, used for interior shots, ranging from the rotating library of Shiz University to the Sorcerer’s Sanctum in the heart of the Emerald City.

The Munchkinland village set that opens the film (“No One Mourns the Wicked”) was a practical structure built in the idyllic town of Ivinghoe. The 9 million tulips leading to Munchkinland, meanwhile, have been planted in Norfolk, with planning from local flower farmer Mark Eves and site manager Adam Richards. “I knew it could work because I grew 500 acres of corn there Interstellar“Crowley said during an interview with diversity. “I knew I could do it…with the right farmer.”

Part of the Venetian waterways leading to Shiz University was reached by a trip to Seven Sisters Country Park in East Sussex. “L. “Frank Baum wrote a lot about how Oz was connected by waterways, but we had never seen that before,” explains Chu in the production notes. “Water plays such an iconic role in the story of the Wicked Witch. I think it’s great that you can go to school on these boats; We built it all for the film.” The establishing shots from East Sussex were then seamlessly blended with the arrival dock and entrance courtyard on one of the studio’s backdrops.

“This project is a testament to the remarkable skill and dedication of our exceptional art, location, greens, set design and construction teams,” adds Crowley. “It is very likely that I will never encounter a set of this immense complexity again in my career.”

“Wicked Part One” is in theaters now. Get tickets at Fandango. Wicked Part Two hits theaters on November 21, 2025.