Wicked is getting a big-screen adaptation and some big stars have just been announced to play the leads. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo are cast to portray Glinda and Elphaba in Universal’s adaptation of the Tony-winning musical. The project is built by “In the Heights” director Jon M. Chu who has been attached to the project since February 2021.
Both stars are extremely talented with amazing backgrounds in music and acting. Grande is a Grammy-winning pop star who started on Broadway in the musical “13” and acted in shows like “Victorious” and Adam McKay’s upcoming film “Don’t Look Up.” Erivo, on the other hand, has received a Tony, Grammy, and daytime Emmy award for her role as Celie in the 2015-2017 revival of “The Color Purple.”
Twitter Reactions
Considering Wicked is the second-highest-grossing musical of all time (behind only The Lion King), the news of who was cast ~obviously~ exploded on Twitter pretty quickly.
"Glinda! Is it true you were her friend?"
Glinda: "Yuh." https://t.co/mIC2iC2Bv7
— Max Grossman (@GrossmanMax) November 5, 2021
Despite how promising the cast sounds, there is still some controversy around long and beloved fans of the musical. The opinions are divided into a couple of different groups: people who love the movie and have different opinions about who should have been cast, people who are longtime fans of Grande and Erivo so they love the casting, and people who are just here for a good time.
Congrats to two amazing women. May it change your lives for the better forever and ever as it has for us. So much love. https://t.co/2avPFA9OBk
— Idina Menzel (@idinamenzel) November 5, 2021
But at the end of the day, the cast has the support of the musical’s previous stars, which I imagine means more than anything in the world. Idina Menzel even commented on Twitter, “Congrats to two amazing women,” Menzel wrote. “May it change your lives for the better forever and ever as it has for us. So much love.”
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Ariana Grande Manifested This Role
It’s no secret that Grande has long been a big fan of the iconic show. She even performed “The Wizard and I” at the 15th anniversary Wicked concert in 2018.
There was also a lot of talk about Grande’s longtime desire to portray Glinda in Wicked. Some fans found an interview from 2013 where she discusses her dream of doing so. Grande also recently chose Kristin Chenoweth—who originated the role—as her team mentor on The Voice, where Grande is currently a judge.
A prophecy written in the stars ???? #Wicked pic.twitter.com/k8lYqviaE0
— Sonny (@SonnnyBoii) November 5, 2021
But her dreams of playing Glinda date all the way back — publicly, at least — to Dec. 2, 2011, when she first tweeted about her desired stage role.
https://twitter.com/ArianaGrande/status/142503277953691648?s=20
That’s manifestation if I’ve ever seen it.
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No, James Corden Isn’t In Wicked
James Corden has appeared in some film adaptations of hit Broadway musicals like “Cats” and “Into The Woods” so why wouldn’t he be in Wicked?
Corden has a reputation for being cast in broadway to film adaptation, but the reviews are what really peaked the audience’s attention. In his various movie musical roles, Corden has earned reviews ranging from positive (Variety called him “very appealing” in Into The Woods) to the very negative (Vanity Fair called his Golden Globe-nominated performance in The Prom “insulting”) And don’t even get me started on Cats.
They better not cast James Corden in this WICKED musical. pic.twitter.com/RyCT7N52rd
— Frank Costa (@feistyfrank) November 5, 2021
Keeping Corden out of Wicked has been so important, that fans have even started a petition to keep him out of the movie. The petition on Change.org reads “James Corden in no way shape or form should be in or near the production of Wicked the movie. that’s pretty much it.”
There are now more than 35,000 signatures and counting while #keepjamescorden was trending over the weekend.
Putting all the drama, memes, and fan opinions to the side, the movie adaptation of Wicked is coming out whether we like it or not. Of course, I hope that this is a fin experience for all the Wicked fans, but if it’s not… At least there will be more hilarious tweets about it. Filming for the movie begins in the UK this summer.
