‘Wicked’ Movie Finds Its Stars in Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande
For a couple of witches, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo were all smiles today.
The two shared Instagram posts where they congratulated each other after finding out via a Zoom call that they had been cast in the long-awaited Wicked movie, each referring to Wicked‘s pink and green color scheme as going good together.
The two will star in Universal’s adaptation of the hit Broadway musical that is to be directed by Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians). Erivo will play Elphaba while Grande will play Glinda, roles originated by Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenowith.
A Wicked film has been in the works at Universal for a very long time. The project launched in 2004, a year after it debuted on Broadway, but has been held up by numerous factors, most recently the pandemic. It went on to generate more than $1 billion in ticket sales, one of just three shows to do so.
Wicked the musical was spawned from the novel by Gregory Maguire, which is a take on the Wizard of Oz story. Wicked explores the friendship between the Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda the Good Witch.
Stephen Schwartz, who penned the music and lyrics to the Broadway show, will adapt the screenplay with Winnie Holzman. Marc Platt, who produced the Broadway musical, is set to also produce the film.
Wicked is still running on Broadway in its 18th year.
Erivo is a Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning actress, singer and producer, as well as an Oscar, Golden Globe, and SAG nominee. She blasted off in the West End and Broadway in The Color Purple. She was recently nominated for an Emmy for her critically acclaimed portrayal of Aretha Franklin in National Geographic’s Emmy-winning global anthology series Genius: Aretha, and she released her debut album Ch.1 Vs 1 this year.
Grammy winning, multi-platinum recording artist Grande is the first artist to hold the top three Billboard Hot 100 spots since The Beatles in 1964 with “7 Rings,” “Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored,” and “Thank U, Next.” Last year, she became the first and only artist to have 5 singles debut at #1 in the charts history. As an actor, she starred in in Nickelodeon’s Victorious which led to a spin-off starring Grande’s character in Sam & Cat. In 2016, Grande starred as “Penny Pingleton” in Hairspray Live! for NBC, among many other credits.