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Everything we know about Wicked the Movie as first cast members are announced
9 November 2021, 12:30 | Updated: 9 November 2021, 12:33
Wicked the Musical is being made into a film starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Here's what we know about the cast, release date.
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In possibly the most exciting bit of news of the year, it was confirmed last week that a film version of the musical Wicked is in the pipeline.
Wicked is based on a novel about the untold history of the witches in the Wizard of Oz, and is one of the most beloved musicals of the last decade.
The upcoming film, which will be directed by Jon M. Chu, is still very much in its early stages, and we don't have too many details yet - but here's everything we know so far...
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Who is in the Wicked movie cast?
It has been confirmed that Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande will star as Elphaba and Glinda respectively.
Glinda, a role made famous by Kristin Chenoweth, sings the well-known song Popular - which Ariana previously remixed in a Mika track. Ariana is a huge fan of Wicked, and also has musical experience - having starred on Broadway as a child.
Elphaba, a notoriously tricky role made famous by Idina Menzel, will be played by legendary musical performer Cynthia Erivo. Cynthia has won Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Awards for her work on Broadway.
The two leads took to Instagram to announce their casting, sharing screenshots of FaceTimes and congratulations flowers sent to one another.
Ariana wrote: "Dear Cynthia, honored doesn’t even begin to cover it. I cannot wait to hug you. See you in Oz."
When will the Wicked movie be released?
We don't yet have a release date, but production isn't scheduled to start until next summer. We'll therefore likely be waiting well over a year until the movie is out.
