Ariana Grande is switching her position from chart-topping singer to big-screen actor, having landed the role of Glinda in the long-gestating film adaptation of Wicked, opposite two-time Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo who will portray Elphaba. Jon M. Chu, who helmed the recent feature musical In The Heights, is set to direct.
On Twitter, Chu teased:
“Get ready for a match up like you’ve never seen!!! In pink and green!!!”
Cynthia Erivo won a Tony, a Daytime Emmy, and a Grammy Award for her performance as Celie in the Broadway version of The Color Purple. She was also nominated for multiple awards for her leading role in the musical Harriet and her song “Stand Up.” She was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for her recent depiction of Aretha Franklin in Genius: Aretha. She has released two albums and one EP and has been featured on tracks by Billy Porter, Lea Michele, Todrick Hall, and John Legend, among others.
Ariana Grande has racked up six #1 singles on the U.S. Billboard Charts and is recognized as the most-streamed female artist in the world. She has won two Grammy Awards, three American Music Awards, two Billboard Awards, two Billboard Women in Music Awards (including Woman of the Year), and more.
She co-starred on the Nickelodeon series Victorious and its spinoff Sam & Cat, as well as on Ryan Murphy‘s Scream Queens. She played Penny Pingleton in the televised Hairspray Live!.
In 2018, Grande sang Wicked‘s “The Wizard and I” on the broadcast celebration of the show’s 15-year anniversary.
Wicked is based on the book by Gregory Maguire and serves as a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, recasting the Wicked Witch of the West– named Elphaba here– as the protagonist, an outcast at her magical high school. Glinda, “The Good Witch” is her bubbly roommate in this version. Stephen Schwartz wrote the songs with a book by Winnie Holzman.
The original cast famously included Adele Dazeem Idina Menzel as Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda. It famously spawned the epic song “Defying Gravity.” The stage production won three Tony Awards, seven Drama Desk Awards, and the soundtrack won a Grammy Award.
Goooood Newwwws!!! The incredible #CynthiaErivo and @ArianaGrande will be our Elphaba and Galinda in @WickedMovie @UniversalPics Get ready for a match up like you’ve never seen!!! In pink and green!!! pic.twitter.com/t1eH82mCe7
— Jon M. Chu (@jonmchu) November 5, 2021
Are you excited that Wicked is finally being made into a movie? What do you think of the cast?
