Singer Ariana Grande and actress Cynthia Erivo are joining the cast of the big-screen adaptation of the popular Broadway musical ‘Wicked’ and they’re ecstatic over it.
Grande will play Glinda while Erivo will play Elphaba in the movie that will be directed by Jon M Chu.
The filmmaker shared pictures on Instagram of the two stars’ happy faces when the found out they had been roped in for the roles.
“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!! It is other worldly. Ahhhhh!!!” he wrote.
Grande, known for songs such as ‘thank you, next’ and ‘Bang Bang’, also posted her reaction and a picture of the flowers she sent Erivo.
“Dear Cynthia, honored doesn’t even begin to cover it. I cannot wait to hug you. See you in Oz,” Grande wrote in a note, alongside the pink and green floral arrangement (the signature colours of Glinda and Elphaba).
Apart from being a Grammy-winning singer, Grande has starred in the Broadway music ‘13’ and in her show ‘Victorious’. Erivo is a multi-hyphenate star known for her acting and singing prowess. She has almost achieved EGOT status — she has a Tony, Grammy, a daytime Emmy award, and has been nominated for an Oscar.
Production on the ‘Wicked’ movie is expected to start in summer 2022 in the UK. The musical is a take on the classic ‘Wizard of Oz’ tale and is in its 18th year on Broadway.
