Tony Nominee Ethan Slater to Play Boq in Wicked Films

Ethan Slater is attending Shiz University! The Tony nominee will play Boq in the upcoming Wicked films, according to Variety.  Cynthia Erivo will star as Elphaba with Ariana Grande as Glinda and Jonathan Bailey taking on the role of Fiyero in the the movie musical, which will be released as two films. Jon M. Chu directs.

Slater is a Tony nominee for his performance in SpongeBob SquarePants, which marked his Broadway debut. He was most recently seen on stage in off-Broadway's Assassins. 

Stephen Schwartz revealed the movie will contain at least three new songs. The composer also plans to incorporate at least one number cut from the Broadway show into the film adaptation. Schwartz and librettist Winnie Holzman are collaborating on the screenplay.

Wicked, which premiered on Broadway in 2003, continues to play the Gershwin Theatre. 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.” The Grammy-winning score by Schwartz features the songs “The Wizard and I,” “Popular” and “Defying Gravity.”