Good fortune, witch hunters! Variety has reported that none other than Michelle Yeoh, Time’s Icon of the Year and star of Everything Everywhere All at Once, has joined the cast of the Wicked movies as Madame Morrible, the headmistress of Shiz University with a penchant for making up words and controlling the weather. The news comes one day after it was announced that Broadway’s Ethan Slater had landed the plum role of Boq, the munchkin head over heels for Glinda.
Slater and Yeoh join the previously announced Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, and Jeff Goldblum in the wonderful world of Oz. Clearly, the cast of Wicked is taking shape, with a few key roles still to be announced and a fairly long road until the movies are ready for public consumption. Before you fly off the handle with anticipation, here’s everything we know about the Wicked movies thus far, and why we think they will be worth the wait.
When Is Wicked Coming Out?
In perhaps a bullish move, director Jon M. Chu made the decision to split Wicked into two films, with the first coming out on December 25, 2024, and the second on the same date the following year, December 25, 2025. “It became increasingly clear that it would be impossible to wrestle the story of Wicked into a single film without doing some real damage to it,” Chu wrote on social media on April 26 when he announced the news. “As we tried to cut songs or trim characters, those decisions began to feel like fatal compromises to the source material that has entertained us all for so many years.” So don’t worry, Ozians. It sounds like no classic Wicked songs like “Dear Old Shiz,” “A Sentimental Man,” and the absolute banger “Something Bad” will be harmed in the making of the Wicked films.
Who’s in It?
After searching all of Oz, Chu found his witches in Grammy, Emmy, and Tony winner Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and pop sensation (and Broadway baby) Ariana Grande as Glinda. Given the sheer power and magnificence of their voices, and the fact that it’s been split into two films, some people think that the two beltresses should switch parts for the second film. But given the fact that Grande has gone blonde for the shooting of the film, it’s unlikely that will happen.
Erivo and Grande will pine over Bridgerton’s Jonathan Bailey, who will play Winkie prince Fiyero, and Jeff Goldblum who is in final “talks” to play the wonderful wizard of Oz. In the last 24 hours, it was announced that Broadway’s SpongeBob SquarePants, Ethan Slater, will play munchkin Boq, and Everything Everywhere All at Once’s Michelle Yeoh will control the weather as headmistress of Shiz University, Madame Morrible. The cast is, in a word, stacked.
Who Might Be in It?
Other major roles like Nessarose and Dr. Dillamond remain unfilled, but the internet, however, has a few ideas as to who else might be citizens of Oz. Rumors have swirled that comedians like SNL’s Bowen Yang and Hacks scene-stealer Meg Stalter might appear in the film, although their involvement has not been confirmed.
Is This Casting Good?
Not only is it good, it’s practically perfect in every way (sorry, wrong musical). Seriously though, the casting is inspired, drawing fans from multiple corners of the cultural landscape from theater and pop music to television and beyond. Not only does Cynthia Erivo—Oscar-nominated for her work as Harriet Tubman in 2019’s Harriet—have the dramatic chops necessary to pull off Elphaba, she also has a sterling voice that can blow the roof off a joint, something she demonstrated eight times a week singing the 11 o’clock number “I’m Here” in The Color Purple on Broadway, winning her a Tony Award and turning her into an international sensation overnight. There’s no way Erivo’s “Defying Gravity” won’t defy even the highest of expectations.
As for Glinda, casting Ariana Grande, one of the biggest pop stars in the world, known for her gorgeous lyric soprano and her abiding love for Broadway—remember, she got her start in the industry starring in Jason Robert Brown’s 13—was definitely a shrewd move. It doesn’t hurt that Grande has seemingly been quietly campaigning for the role for years, going so far as to invite the original Glinda, Kristin Chenoweth, to be her special guest on The Voice when she was a coach. Given her immense talent, Broadway roots, and legions of fans, it’s no wonder Chu said “yuh” to Grande.
Chris Murphy
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