Ariana Grande Shock: Universal Casts Pete Davidson's Ex And Cynthia Erivo As Witches Of Oz In New' Wicked' Adaptation

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo will be playing the two lead roles in Universal Pictures' upcoming big-screen adaption of the hit stage musical "Wicked." Grande has been confirmed to play Glinda, while Erivo will play her frenemy Elphaba in the upcoming movie.

Rumors surrounding the possible cast members for the movie have been circulating since February after the studio announced the planned movie. The adaptation will be directed by "In the Heights" director Jon M. Chu.

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Instead of the studio announcing the official cast members for "Wicked," both Grande and Erivo made the announcement themselves on social media.

In separate posts on Instagram, the stars congratulated each other, with Grande telling Enrivo in a post that she could not wait to hug her and to see her in Oz.

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Adding Star Power To An Iconic Story

Choosing the two to play the iconic roles of the two witches of Oz is an excellent decision given the star power they would bring to the film.

Both are multi-award-winning performers in their own right, with Grande getting her start on Broadway in the musical 13 and acting in shows like Victorious and Adam McKay's upcoming film Don't Look Up.

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Meanwhile, Erivo is on the verge of completing her awards collection, recently receiving a Tony, Grammy, and Emmy for her role as Celie in the 2015-2017 revival of The Color Purple.

Wicked is a popular Broadway musical, with its music and lyrics written by Stephen Schwartz. The musical is based on the 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, titled Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. The play acts as a prequel to the iconic story in The Wizard of Oz.

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The original book follows the stories of the two witches of the Land of Oz, Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, the Good Witch, before the arrival of Dorothy.

Congratulations All-Around

In its original Broadway run, Elphaba was played by Idina Menzel, while Kristin Chenoweth played Glinda. Live performances of the popular musical have recently resumed after Broadway theaters were allowed to resume operations following the pandemic.

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Menzel recently took to social media to congratulate both Grande and Erivo for their casting. The "Frozen" singer added that she hopes the roles would change both women's lives for the better, just like how her playing the role had changed hers.

In a 2019 interview with Variety, Menzel said that she hadn't forgotten what a delight it would be to play in the musical, which has been in production for years and has had a slew of celebrities vying for the main parts. The Broadway production initially premiered in June 2003.

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For his part, the film's director gushed about the casting choices on social media and shared screenshots of the two stars' faces from when they each learned they had landed the gig.