Ethan Slater Joins WICKED Movie Cast as Boq

Ethan Slater has joined the film adaptation of Wicked as Boq.

Variety reports that Slater join the previously announced Ariana Grande as Glinda, Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, as well as Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero in the two-part film adaption of the hit Broadway musical.

Director Jon M. Chu also confirmed on Twitter that the film began filming today, December 7, 2022. He teased that the rest of the cast will be announced "very soon...ish."

The film will be released in two parts, the first being released during the 2024 holiday season and the next part being released the year after. The film began rehearsals in the U.K. in September.

Slater is best known for his role as SpongeBob SquarePants in the musical of the same name, for which he received a Tony Award nomination for the Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical category. He was most recently seen in the Off-Broadway revival of Assassins as Lee Harvey Oswald/The Balladeer.

He has also been seen as "Modell" in Diner at DTC (Dir. Kathleen Marshall), his other Off-Broadway credits include Baghdaddy (St. Luke's), PEMDAS (59e59), Claudio Quest (NYMF), What We Know (Teatro Circulo), and Independents (FringeNYC).

About Wicked:

Before Dorothy, before the flying house, and before the yellow brick road, there was Elphaba and Galinda. Born with emerald-green skin, Elphaba is smart, fiery, misunderstood and possesses extraordinary talent. When circumstances force her to room with the bubbly blonde and exceptionally popular, Galinda, their initial rivalry turns into the unlikeliest of friendships.

From the first electrifying note to the final breathtaking moment, Wicked tells the story of Oz that you've never heard.

The musical's book writer, Winnie Holzman, is returning to adapt it into a screenplay. Composer Stephen Schwartz is also returning to write new music for the film. He recently revealed that the second part of the film will include two new songs. The Wicked movie will also include costumes from Paul Tazewell and choreography from Christopher Scott.

Photo: Genevieve Rafter Keddy