The film adaptation of Wicked has found its leads!

Grammy Award-winning pop sensation Ariana Grande and Oscar- and Tony-winner Cynthia Erivo are set to star in Universal’s adaptation of the hit Broadway musical as Glinda and Elphaba respectively. The film will be directed by Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights director Jon M. Chu. 

Grande is best-known for being one of the biggest pop stars in the world, boasting two Grammys and multi-platinum albums. You may also know her from Nickelodeon’s Victorious and the spinoff series Sam & Cat. She is set to appear in the Netflix film from Adam McKay, Don’t Look Up, opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence.

​Erivo is a two-time Oscar nominee for Harriet (2019), and was nominated for an Emmy for playing Aretha Franklin in Genius: Aretha. She boasts a Grammy and a Tony for her protrayal of Celie in The Color Purple. Her first foray in film acting was the neo-noir thriller Bad Times at the El Royale (2018), starring opposite an ensemble cast consisting of Jeff Bridges, Chris Hemsworth, Jon Hamm, Dakota Johnson, Nick Offerman, and more.
 
The original musical Wicked is a take on the Wizard of Oz story, telling of the friendship between the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda the Good Witch. Stephen Schwartz wrote the music and lyrics and Winnie Holzman wrote the book for the Broadway version.