It’s been five years since Universal announced it was doing a movie adaptation of Wicked, but now we finally know who will star. After years of casting rumors, it was announced that Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande will be playing Elphaba and Glinda, respectively. Director Jon M. Chu confirmed the exciting news on Thursday afternoon by sharing a screenshot of Erivo and Grande’s surprised reactions on Twitter. “Goooood Newwwws!!! The incredible #CynthiaErivo and @ArianaGrande will be our Elphaba and Galinda in @WickedMovie @UniversalPics,” he wrote. “Get ready for a match up like you’ve never seen!!! In pink and green!!!”
Erivo and Grande are no strangers to musical theater. Erivo first rose to fame for her role in the Broadway revival of The Color Purple in 2015, for which she won the 2016 Tony Award for best actress in a musical. Meanwhile, Grande began her musical career at 15 when she starred in the 2008 Broadway musical 13. Grande has also been a longtime Wicked fan. In fact, she previously tweeted in 2011 about Glinda being her “dream role.” Talk about manifestation! Here’s hoping more casting news comes out soon.
Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba
The Tony-winning actress will play the Wicked Witch of the West, who was originally played by Idina Menzel in the musical.
Ariana Grande as Glinda
The pop singer will play Glinda the Good, who was originally played by Kristin Chenoweth in the musical.
This article was originally published on Popsugar
