'Thank goodness!'
After announcing Jon M. Chu as the director of the movie adaptation of the musical “Wicked,” the project now presents the stars that will bring to life Oz’s rival witches.
The “Crazy Rich Asians” director revealed on Instagram that pop star Ariana Grande and Broadway actress Cynthia Erivo will portray frenemy witches Glinda and Elphaba, respectively, in Universal Studios’ upcoming movie.
Both Ariana and Cynthia celebrated the casting announcements by sending each other pink and green bouquets, the signature colors of the iconic characters, with special notes they penned.
“Dear Cynthia, honored doesn’t even begin to cover it. I cannot wait to hug you. See you in Oz,” Ariana wrote.
“Congratulations Miss A, the part was made for you. I look forward to sharing this musical journey with you,” Cynthia said in response.
Talks about making a film version of the musical have been circulating since its Broadway debut in 2004. In 2012, Universal Studios announced that it will be producing the film with Stephen Daldry to direct it and Winnie Holzman to pen the screenplay for a 2019 release. But in February 2019, the studio announced a new release date, which was initially set on Dec. 22, 2021.
After scheduling problems and pandemic issues, the studio put the film on hold and gave its 2021 release date to its other film, “Sing 2.” Another good news, it is reported that two new songs will be made for the musical feature.
“Wicked” is a musical adaptation of the 1995 novel of Gregory Maguire. It retells the story of L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” through the eyes of its antagonist, the Wicked Witch. Exploring the time before Dorothy and Toto make their appearance in Oz, the musical brings the tale of two young ladies—Elphaba the green-skinned and smart, and Glinda the beautiful and popular—and their unlikely friendship before one was dubbed as the “good” and the other the “wicked.”