Cynthia Erivo has been cast to star in the upcoming film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Wicked as Elphaba, while Ariana Grande will play opposite her as Glinda.
Erivo shared the news with her fans on Instagram by reposting images shared by director John Chu who captured the moment he told her that she had landed the iconic role. She also reposted several stories from friends and colleagues congratulating her.
The story of Wicked is a prequel to The Wizard of Oz and tells the story of everything leading up to Dorothy’s arrival in Oz. In the original Broadway show, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth portrayed frenemies Elphaba, who would become the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda the Good Witch.
According to theater news website Broadway World, Wicked is one of the most commercially successful musicals of all time, earning $14.8 billion at the Broadway box office last year alone. Stephen Schwartz, who penned the music and lyrics to the Broadway show, is adapting the screenplay with Winnie Holzman. Marc Platt, who produced the Broadway musical, is set to also produce the film.
Both women sent each other beautiful flower arrangements to celebrate the occasion. “Pink goes good with green. Congratulations Miss A, the part was made for you, I look forward to sharing this musical journey with you,” read the card Erivo sent to Grande.
Grande sent her arrangement to Erivo and wrote on the card, “Honored doesn’t even begin to cover it. I can not wait to hug you. See you in Oz, All my love Ari.”
Erivo earned an Emmy for her performance as musical legend Aretha Franklin in the National Geographic series Genuis. She also played Celie alongside Jennifer Hudson and Danielle Brooks in the Broadway revival of The Color Purple, for which she earned a Tony, Grammy and daytime Emmy award.
We are sending a huge congratulations to Erivo and cannot wait to see her on the big screen playing Elphaba. We anticipate that she will be adding to her already impressive collection of awards!
