Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo to star in ‘Wicked’ film adaptation
Pop star Ariana Grande and award-winning actress, singer and songwriter Cynthia Erivo are about to defy gravity as they will star in the big-screen adaptation of the Broadway hit, Tony-winning musical, Wicked.
The movie adaptation will be helmed by Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights movie director Jon M. Chu, and will feature Erivo as Elphaba and Grande as Glinda.
On Nov. 4, both Erivo and Grande posted on social media photos of their reactions upon learning that they got their respective parts.
“Pink goes with green,” captioned Erivo in the series of screenshots of her and Grande in a video call she posted on Instagram.
She also posted a photo of the pink and green floral arrangement Grande sent her with a handwritten note that read, “Dear Cynthia, honored doesn’t even begin to cover it. I cannot wait to hug you. See you in Oz. All my love, Ari.”
Meanwhile, Grande also posted screenshots of a video call of her, Erivo and Chu. She also referenced one of Glinda’s song in the musical in her caption, “Thank goodness.”
Grande also received flowers from Erivo, a photo of which she posted with the note, “Pink goes with green. Congratulations, Miss A. The part was made for you. I look forward to sharing the musical journey with you. Love, Cynthia.”
Both Erivo and Grande received well wishes from their celebrity friends, including Hamilton’s Anthony Ramos, singers Jessie J, Tori Kelly, Leona Lewis and Lizzo.
Meanwhile, Chu expressed his excitement on Instagram, posting screenshots of the moment Erivo and Grande received the news that they are playing the beloved characters.
“These two witches! The emotional moment I got to tell @cynthiaerivo and @arianagrande that they were our Elphaba and Galinda in the @WickedMovie for @unistudios. Wait until you see what they bring. This is otherworldly,” said Chu.
The Wicked film adaptation has been in the works under Universal since 2004, just a year after the musical debuted on Broadway. But it was only a few years ago that a release date was revealed, which was December 2021. However, the production was stalled because of the pandemic.
In February, it was announced that Chu will be directing the movie.
Stephen Schwartz, who penned the music and lyrics of the Broadway show, and screenwriter Winnie Holzman are set to adapat the screenplay. While Marc Platt, who produced the musical on Broadway, is producing the film.
According to Deadline, the movie is in development with production set to begin in 2022 in the United Kingdom.
The characters of the hit musical were orginally played by Broadway heavyweights Idina Menzel as Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda.
Check out Ariana Grande singing The Wizard and I during Wicked's 15th anniversary special in 2019: