Ariana Grande Auditioned Five Times for WICKED Movie

In a new interview with the Associated Press, director Jon M. Chu shared some new insights into the casting process of the highly anticipated film adaptation of Wicked.

“Ari, she came in five times for us," he said of Ariana Grande's audition for the movie. "Every time, she was the most interesting person in the room. I resisted. I was like, ‘There’s no way Ariana Grande, the person we think of, can handle this, carrying a movie, her first movie.’" Despite his initial reservations, Grande was offered the role of Glinda the Good Witch. "Wait until you see her in this," Chu added. "She will blow your mind and break your hearts.”

Similarly, he discussed Cynthia Erivo, who he says impressed him with a performance of The Wizard and I: "What I didn’t know was how vulnerable she could be." Erivo plays Elphaba in the film.

Producer Marc Platt was also interviewed for the piece, shedding a bit more light on the decision to split the movie into two parts, with the first film focusing on Elphaba (Act 1 of the show) and Part Two centering more on Glinda.

“That structure and those journeys made it that much easier to see, oh, there’s two different stories,” Platt said. Part One of the film will be released on November 22, 2024, with the second part hitting theaters on November 26, 2025. Read more at Associated Press.

The Wicked film adaptation stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda. Joining them is Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Ethan Slater as Boq, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard. 

Marissa Bode will portray Nessarose, Elphaba's younger sister. The cast of characters also includes Pfannee and ShenShen, two conniving compatriots of Glinda played by Emmy nominee Bowen Yang (Saturday Night Live) and Bronwyn James (Harlots), and a new character created for the film, Miss Coddle, played by Tony nominee Keala Settle (The Greatest Showman). Aaron Teoh joins as Avaric with Michael Carmichael as Nikidik. Emmy-Winner Peter Dinklage is set to play Dr. Dillamond in the film.

Part One of the film will be released on November 22, 2024, with the second part hitting theaters on November 26, 2025. Pre-save the official soundtrack here. Also, be sure to check out BroadwayWorld's comprehensive guide to the Wicked movie!