Musical theater buffs and blockbuster movie fans are in for a treat. Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, and Jeff Goldblum have been slated to appear on The Kelly Clarkson Show on November 12, 2024. This guarantees to be a stellar show that will get the closest fans to the much-anticipated Wicked film adaptation by Jon M. Chu, premiering its first part on November 27, 2024.
The lineup for this year’s big-screen version of Wicked includes an enviable cast, each of whom lends a unique sparkle to breathe new life into these beloved roles.
Ariana Grande plays Glinda, the Good Witch. With back-to-back chart-topping hits in her music career, such as “Thank U, Next” and “7 Rings,” anticipation for Grande within this role has been highly geared. Indeed, it will be interesting to watch how Grande merges her vocal prowess with Glinda’s charm.
Cynthia Erivo stars in the lead role of Elphaba, otherwise known as the Wicked Witch of the West. Erivo is not a stranger to headlining films and stages; she took home both a Tony Award for her role as Celie in The Color Purple and an Emmy for her work in The Outsider. Casting her as Elphaba will be incredibly powerful and emotionally deep.
Jonathan Bailey, fresh off his breakout role as Anthony Bridgerton in Netflix’s Bridgerton, slips into the role of Fiyero, a charismatic love interest who gets caught between the two witches. His charm and dramatic chops have made Bailey one of the rising stars; Wicked is likely to solidify that in Hollywood.
Rounding out the cast is Jeff Goldblum, who will play the Wizard of Oz. Best known for his iconic roles in such films as Jurassic Park and Independence Day, Goldblum’s persona can be considered nothing short of enigmatic, perfectly pegging him for the role of the Wizard. His presence within a character surely makes it both grave and humorous.
With Jon M. Chu, of Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights at the helm, this Wicked film is shaping up to be a cinematic spectacle. Big enough, in fact, that Chu has opted to split it in two and give each half of the epic story room to breathe on screen. Part One will bow November 27, 2024, while Part Two lands in 2025.
The movie is based on the charismatic Broadway play, which, for its part, was a reworking of The Wizard of Oz, but from a different perspective. Instead of focusing their attention on Dorothy, Wicked narrates the story of how two women, Elphaba and Glinda, living extremely different lives with different ideologies, are brought together by fortuitous friendships that threaten to tear them asunder due to strongest forces: magic, politics, and fate.
With Oz as an eternal backdrop, enthusiasts are waiting to see the expansion of the movie on the themes of friendship, identity, and prejudice that were touched upon in the original stage production.
Expect interviews with The Kelly Clarkson Show, but likely some musical performances or even behind-the-scenes stories about creating the Wicked production. Grande, Erivo, Bailey, and Goldblum recall their experience in bringing such iconic characters into being, sharing everything from their preparations for the role to the dynamic set environments created by Jon M. Chu.
It is said that the movie will be released within a couple of weeks of this appearance, and it is an important part of the big advertising plan. The cast will probably discuss fan expectations of the film, their own interest in Wicked, and the excitement of reintroducing Oz to a whole new generation. Where Wicked has already become a cultural phenomenon on Broadway, this film will reshape the Wizard of Oz universe in the eyes of the audience.
