Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande Will Star in Wicked Musical Movie Adaptation

As if they weren’t “popular” enough presently, Tony winner Cynthia Erivo and Grammy winner Ariana Grande will soar onto the major screen when the movie adaptation of Wicked comes in theatres. The stars announced the information on their Instagram accounts, highlighting the moment they located out they had been cast check out it out underneath.

Oscar nominee Erivo (Harriet, Broadway’s The Shade Purple) will play Elphaba reverse pop superstar Grande (herself a Broadway alum, having appeared in 13) as Glinda. Director Jon M. Chu confirmed the casting after the two shared the information.

The roles are a little bit of a reversal for the pair, both equally of whom have recent ties to the musical. Grande belted Elphaba’s “The Wizard and I” for the musical’s 15th anniversary live performance on NBC in 2018, while Erivo a short while ago sang “Thank Goodness” (Glinda’s Act 2 opener) on PBS’ Wicked in Live performance distinctive previously this year.

Chu (Mad Prosperous Asians, In the Heights) was declared to helm the movie in February 2021, joining the prolonged-gestating generation months soon after stories that Stephen Daldry (The Inheritance, Billy Elliot), who was formerly connected to direct, remaining the venture.

No word nonetheless on a launch date. Producer Marc Platt explained in 2015 that “the goal” was to have the film in theaters in 2016. That year, Common announced a December 20, 2019, launch that date finished up heading to a further movie musical from the studio: Cats. Up coming was December 22, 2021 (now the Universal slot for Sing 2), right until the job was taken off the calendar fully in the early months of the pandemic shutdown.

In accordance to The Hollywood Reporter, production is now predicted to start out in London up coming summer.

Wicked, with audio and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a ebook by Winnie Holzman, is based mostly on the novel Wicked: The Existence and Moments of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. The Broadway production returned to the Gershwin Theatre in September just after an 18-thirty day period extended shutdown thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.

Schwartz and Holzman are co-composing the screenplay for Common, with Marc Platt, a producer on the musical, also producing the movie.

Grande has not too long ago gotten to bond with unique Glinda Kristin Chenoweth the Tony and Emmy winner served as Grande’s mentor and “Battle Advisor” on the latest period of The Voice. The two previously appeared together in NBC’s Hairspray Live!.