Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo are heading to Oz. Casting for the upcoming Wicked movie was announced via the stars’ Instagram accounts, as well as in a tweet from director Jon M. Chu. Grande will star as Glinda, while Erivo takes on the role of the titular ‘Wicked’ Witch of the West, Elphaba.
The film adaptation of the Broadway hit has been in the works for many years, and was originally slated for a 2019 release with Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot) in the director’s chair. This year, however, has marked the most steady progress in production, with Jon M. Chu, fresh off the success of In The Heights, stepping in to direct.
While Grande is best known for her music career, this film sees the Grammy Award-winner return to her musical theatre roots. She began her career on stage in the musical 13, before starring in the teen musical-comedy series Victorious. She also stars in the upcoming Netflix film Don’t Look Up, alongside a cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence and Meryl Streep.
Erivo is best known for her stage role as Celie in The Colour Purple on Broadway. However, she has also starred in films such as Bad Time at the El Royale and Harriet. For the latter, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, as well as a second nomination for Best Original Song. In fact, Erivo is only an Oscar away from achieving EGOT status, with an Emmy, Grammy and Tony already under her belt.
The women celebrated each others’ casting with flowers, sharing the notes written via Instagram. Grande wrote to Erivo, “Dear Cynthia, honoured doesn’t begin to cover it. I cannot wait to hug you. See you in Oz. All my love, Ari.”
Meanwhile, Erivo’s message to her co-star read, “Pink goes good with green. Congratulations Miss A, the part was made for you. I look forward to starting this musical journey with you. Love, Cynthia.” Both bouquets were made up of pink and green flowers, a nod to the characters’ signature colours.
Wicked functions as a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, telling the origin story of The Wicked Witch of the West. Since its original run in 2003, it has been an international hit. In London, the West End Production celebrated 15 years of performances last month. The book is written by Winnie Holzman, with music from Stephen Schwartz: both return for the film adaptation. Marc Platt, who also produced the play, will serve as a producer on the film.
Words by Rehana Nurmahi
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