Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande to Play Elphaba & Glinda in the Jon M. Chu-Helmed Wicked Movie
(Photo: Caitlin McNaney for Broadway.com and Amy Sussman/Getty Image)
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are headed for the Emerald City! The Tony winner and chart-topping pop superstar each announced that they'll be playing Elphaba and Glinda, respectively, in the previously announced film adaptation of the Broadway smash Wicked. As previously reported, Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights film director Jon M. Chu will helm the film.
As previously announced, the movie was taken off of Universal’s release schedule due to the coronavirus pandemic, and a new release date has yet to be determined. Stephen Schwartz has revealed the movie will contain at least three new numbers. The composer also plans to incorporate at least one song cut from the Broadway show into the film adaptation. Both Schwartz and the show's librettist Winnie Holzman are collaborating on the screenplay.
Wicked resumed performance at the Gershwin Theatre on September 14. Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, Wicked spotlights the untold stories of The Wizard of Oz’s Wicked Witch of the West and her unlikely friend, Glinda the Good. The show follows the tale of green-skinned Elphaba through the life-changing events that eventually label her “wicked.” Wicked is a tale about love, friendship and trust that reveals there are two sides to every story. The Grammy-winning score by Schwartz features the songs “The Wizard and I,” “Popular” and “Defying Gravity.”
Erivo, a Tony, Emmy and Grammy winner for her turn as Celie in The Color Purple, garnered Oscar nominations for starring in Harriet and for Best Original Song for "Stand Up." She can be seen in the The Outsider miniseries and as Aretha Franklin in Genius: Aretha. In addition to Wicked, Erivo has many projects in the works, including a film remake of The Rose. As previously reported, she is also set to star in and produce a biopic based on the life of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, a 19th-century African princess "gifted" to Queen Victoria. Her children's book Remember to Dream, Ebere was published by Hachette Book Group on September 28. She has been tapped to star alongside Nicole Kidman in Apple's new series from GLOW creators Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch. She will also play the Blue Fairy in Disney’s upcoming live-action remake of Pinocchio and is the star of the upcoming movie musical Talent Show.
Grande, who appeared in Jason Robert Brown’s 13 on Broadway in 2008, earned a 2019 Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album for her chart-topping record Sweetener and a 2021 Grammy for Best Pop Duo performance for the single "Rain On Me" with Lady Gaga. She played Tracy Turnblad's gum-popping best friend Penny Pingleton in NBC's Hairspray Live! and reunited with Brown for her single “Dangerous Woman” at the MTV Movie Awards. She has appeared on screen in Scream Queens, Victorious and Saturday Night Live.
