It’s official! Cynthia Erivo (Harriet) and Ariana Grande will star opposite each other in Universal’s live-action adaptation of the Broadway smash-hit musical, Wicked. The film will be directed by Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians). And the two-time Oscar Nominee, Erivo, will take on the green goddess herself, Elphaba. While pop singer sensation, Grande will dig back to her Nickelodeon comedy roots at Galinda the Good Witch.
WHAT IS WICKED?
Wicked the musical adapts Gregory Maguire’s novel and is a twist on the old Wizard of Oz story. The show takes you to a time before Dorothy when Elphaba (the Wicked Witch) and Galinda were “friends” in school. A live-action film version has been in the works at Universal since 2004, a year after its Broadway debut. The show has gone on to generate more than $1 Billion in ticket sales. So, a film was inevitable. The question was always, “who would take on the lead roles”.
WHO ARE ERIVO AND GRANDE?
Steven Schwartz, the mastermind behind Prince of Egypt, Enchanted, Pocahontas, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Children of Eden to name a few, doesn’t write easy music to sing. On top of Erivo’s two Oscar nominations, she was also nominated for an Emmy. And she won a Grammy and Tony Award for The Color Purple. If you haven’t seen her Tony Awards Performance, do yourself a favor and watch it right now. Before becoming one of the biggest pop stars in the world, Grande was an actress on Nickelodeon’s Victorious and the spin-off, Sam & Cat. She will also appear opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawerence in the Netflix film, Don’t Look Up.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
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