Cynthia Erivo has to been tapped to star as one of the leads in Universal’s adaptation of the musical “Wicked” alongside Ariana Grande.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Erivo will play Elphaba while Grande will play Glinda in the film, which will be directed by “Crazy Rich Asians” filmmaker Jon M. Chu.
Erivo was recently nominated for an Emmy for her portrayal of the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, in “Genius: Aretha.”
“I’ve been listening to Aretha since I was very little,” she told Harper’s Bazaar in a recent interview. “Having the chance to learn her music with an understanding of her life was really special. I’d work through the songs, looking at the psychology of the woman who was singing and the choices she was making.”
“Learning Aretha’s story and what she had been through gave me a boost of confidence with my own music,” she says. “I felt empowered to do the things I wanted to. I wasn’t afraid to say, ‘I don’t like that, I think we should do that again.’ And learning her songs forced me to learn my own instrument. I discovered that there were [new] sounds and riffs I could do.”
The British-born Nigerian actress has previously won a Tony, Grammy and daytime Emmy for her performance as Celie in “The Color Purple,” stageplay. In September, Erivo released her debut album, “Ch. 1 Vs. 1.”
“Wicked” is one of the most commercially successful musicals of all time. Last year, the Broadway show racked up $14.8 million at the box office. It is one of only three shows to generate more than $1 billion in ticket sales.
Grande also has a history on Broadway.
When she was just 15, she landed the role of “Charlotte” in the Broadway production of “13,” and in 2016, Grande starred as “Penny Pingleton” in Hairspray Live! for NBC.
