Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo will be defying gravity soon.In Universal’s big-screen adaptation of the Tony-winning musical, directed by Jon M. Chu of “In the Heights,” Grande and Erivo will play Glinda and Elphaba, respectively. He’s been working on the project since February, and casting rumours for the film’s two lead roles have been circulating for months.
On Thursday evening, the stars announced their castings via Instagram.”Dear Cynthia, honoured is an understatement. I can’t wait to give you a hug. “See you in Oz,” Grande wrote in a message to Erivo, which was accompanied by a pink and green floral arrangement (the signature colours of Glinda and Elphaba). Both stars are true multi-hyphenates, with Grammy-winning pop star Grande making her Broadway debut in the musical “13” and appearing in shows such as “Victorious” and Adam McKay’s upcoming film “Don’t Look Up.
” Erivo, on the other hand, is on the verge of achieving EGOT status, having won a Tony, a Grammy, and a daytime Emmy for her role as Celie in the 2015-2017 revival of “The Color Purple.””Wicked,” a prequel to “The Wizard of Oz,” tells the storey of everything that happened before Dorothy arrived in Oz. Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth played rivals Elphaba, who would go on to become the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda the Good Witch in the show’s original Broadway run. “Wicked” has recently resumed live performances, with Broadway theatres reopening after a long pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The film adaptation of “Wicked” has been in the works for a long time, and was most recently stalled by Stephen Daldry’s departure as director last October due to scheduling conflicts. Stephen Schwartz, who wrote the Broadway show’s music and lyrics, is co-writing the screenplay with Winnie Holzman. Marc Platt, who produced the Broadway musical, has agreed to produce the film as well.
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