Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo have been cast in the lead roles of Universial’s adaptation of the Tony-winning musical Wicked.
Varietyreports Grande and Erivo will portray Glinda and Elphaba, respectively, with In the Heights director Jon M. Chu attached to the project. Based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 book, Wicked, the musical premiered in 2003 and is currently Broadway’s fifth longest-running musical.
Ariana took to Instagram to celebrate the news, sharing a photo of the flowers Erivo sent her, which included a note that read, “Pink goes good with green. Congratulations Miss A, the part was made for you, I look forward to sharing this musical journey with you.”
Cynthia returned the favor, posting a snapshot of what her new co-star sent her: “Dear Cynthia, honored doesn’t even begin to cover it,” Ariana wrote in a post Ervio shared on her IG. “I cannot wait to hug you. See you in Oz.”
Production on Wicked is set to kick off in summer 2022.
Fans were quick to point out that Ariana expressed her desire to land the part a decade ago, when she took to Twitter to express her love for Wicked, revealing she’d love to play the character Glinda “at some point in my life.”
“Loved seeing Wicked again… amazing production!” she wrote. “Made me realize again how badly I want 2 play Glinda at some point in my life! #DreamRole.”
As Ariana preps for her upcoming role as Glinda, check out her latest appearance on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show below.
