Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande to headline Wicked film, actors share excitement

A cinematic adaptation of Wicked has been in the works at Universal since 2004, a year after the Broadway premiere. Finally, the film has got its leads, and they are none other than Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. As per reports in The Hollywood Reporter, both the stars will appear in the Universal adaptation of the blockbuster musical, which will be directed by Jon M Chu, who also directed Crazy Rich Asians. Elphaba will be played by Erivo, and Glinda will be played by Grande in the adaptation. 

Wicked is a retelling of the Wizard of Oz story, narrating the friendship between the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch, based on Gregory Maguire's novel. The Broadway version's music and lyrics were written by Stephen Schwartz, while the book was by Winnie Holzman.

Both Erivo and Grande shared their excitement about being a part of Wicked by announcing the news on their respective Instagram pages. 

Talking about the lead actors, Erivo is a two-time Oscar contender for her role as Harriet, released in 2019, and she also received an Emmy nomination for her role as Aretha Franklin in Genius: Aretha. She went on to win a Grammy and a Tony Award for The Color Purple, and her first major film role was in Bad Times at the El Royale, which hit in 2018.

Grande needs no introduction as she is one of the most successful pop artists in the world, with two Grammy Awards and multi-platinum albums to her credit. 

Talking about her upcoming projects, she will star alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawerence in Adam McKay's Netflix drama Don't Look Up. It was Nickelodeon's Victorious and its sequel, Sam & Cat, that gave her her acting debut at a young age.

Meanwhile, Wicked production is set to kickstart in the UK in the summer.