Cynthia Erivo to Campaign for Lead Actress for WICKED; Ariana Grande Supporting

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande will be competing in different categories for Wicked's awards campaign. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Erivo will be featured in the lead actress category for her performance as Elphaba in Part One of the Universal film. Conversely, Glinda actress Ariana Grande will be eligible as a supporting actress. 

This is in line with comments recently made by producer Marc Platt, who confirmed that the first film focuses on Elphaba (Act 1 of the show) with Part Two centering more on Glinda. Given this, it's possible that the award categories for Part Two could be adjusted, with Grande taking the lead in that race.

During the original Broadway production, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth went head to head for Best Actress in a Musical at the Tony Awards for their performances as Elphaba and Glinda, respectively. Menzel ultimately won the award.

About WICKED

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 21, 2025. Pre-save the official soundtrack here. Also, be sure to check out BroadwayWorld's comprehensive guide to the Wicked movie!