First Official "Wicked" Photos Debut Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda

Updated on 4/16/2023 at 3:25 PM

Glinda and Elphaba have arrived! On April 16, the official "Wicked" Instagram (as well as stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande) debuted the first official photos of the two-part movie's central two witches.

In Erivo's photo, Elphaba is holding a broom while her black cape flaps around her. While she's facing away from the camera, her long, flowing black hair and green skin are visible from behind. The official Instagram captioned the photo with a green heart. Meanwhile, in her photo, Glinda can be seen climbing a staircase wearing a stunning pink ball gown. The photo is taken from a distance, but Grande appears to be sporting blond hair that's pulled back from her face.

Back on March 26, Grande and Erivo teased "Wicked" fans with a joint post on Instagram. The actors posted a carousel of photos featuring the two them showing off the bond they've developed since filming on the movie began. They captioned the pics: "up to (no) good 🫧 🧹."

Now that production on the Jon M. Chu–directed movie is well underway, the full "Wicked" cast has been announced. In addition to Grande and Erivo, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode, Bronwyn James, Keala Settle, Aaron Teoh, and Colin Michael Carmichael will all appear in the film. Meanwhile, Jeff Goldblum will be playing the Wizard, a rumor the actor confirmed during his March 2023 appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!."

Additionally, Michelle Yeoh has been cast as Madame Morrible. Yeoh won her first-ever Oscar award at the 2023 ceremony for her role in 2022's "Everything Everywhere All at Once." Chu revealed on Twitter that he texted Yeoh, whom he previously worked with on "Crazy Rich Asians," to ask if she wanted her "Wicked" part.

Back in September 2022, we learned that "Bridgerton" heartthrob and Olivier Award–winner Jonathan Bailey will also appear in the film as the story's main love interest, Fiyero. Chu confirmed Bailey's casting on Sept. 21, 2022, via Twitter. "He's perfect, they're perfect. They'd be perfect together. Born to be forever," Chu wrote. "I am too excited to pretend this hasn't been happening. We have a Fiyero!!!! #JonathanBailey #Wicked."

The cast and crew have been keeping fans updated with exciting announcements since the film was first confirmed. In an April 2022 Twitter post, Chu revealed that they're actually going to split the musical into two films. He wrote in part, "Here's what happened: As we prepared this production over the last year, it became increasingly clear that it would be impossible to wrestle the story of 'Wicked' into a single film without doing some real damage to it. As we tried to cut songs or trim characters, those decisions began to feel like fatal compromises to the source material that has entertained us all for so many years."

He continued, "So we decided to give ourselves a bigger canvas and make not just one 'Wicked' movie but TWO!!!! With more space, we can tell the story of 'Wicked' as it was meant to be told while bringing even more depth and surprise to the journeys of these beloved characters."

Chu added, "Cynthia, Ariana and I — and all the cast and crew — pledge to create nothing less than an experience that honors its foundation for all the fans who've waited for this movie, and to offer a thrilling, fantastical world full of dynamic characters that invites those who are unfamiliar." The director also wrote that the first movie would come out Christmas 2024 and the second would hit theaters Christmas 2025, but the first installment's release date has since been pushed up.

Ahead, find out everything we know about the Wicked films so far, including photos, release dates, trailers, music, and a full breakdown of the cast of characters.

"Wicked" First-Look Photos

"Wicked" Movie Cast

Grande will play Glinda, a role she's had her eye on for years — back in 2011, she tweeted that it was her dream part. Meanwhile, Tony winner Erivo will play Elphaba. "Bridgerton's" Bailey plays Fiyero with Yeoh as Madame Morrible. Ethan Slater, who played the titular role in "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical," will also join the movies as Boq the Munchkin. Additionally, Goldblum finally confirmed his role as the Wizard during his March 2023 appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," though he remained tight-lipped about specifics.

Elsewhere, Marissa Bode plays Elphaba's sister, Nessarose, who eventually becomes the Wicked Witch of the East. Bode, like her character, is a wheelchair user. Yang plays Pfannee and Bronwyn James plays ShenShen, students with Elphaba and Glinda; they appear to be new roles made for the film. Similarly, Keala Settle will play Miss Coddle; since Settle sang "The Greatest Showman"'s smash-hit "This Is Me," we can probably assume Miss Coddle will have a music moment of her own. Aaron Teoh will play Avaric, and Colin Michael Carmichael will play Nikidik.

If you want a preview of Grande and Erivo's vocal performances, you're in luck. Grande performed "The Wizard & I" (which is one of Elphaba's songs) during an NBC "Wicked" special in 2018, and Erivo performed "For Good" during an appearance on "The Late Late Show With James Corden" in March.

"Wicked" Movie Director

The "Wicked" movies will be directed by Chu, who has an impressive record of hits. He directed 2018's "Crazy Rich Asians" and helmed the 2021 movie musical "In the Heights."

Producer Marc Platt is also attached to the project; his son is actor Ben Platt, who could potentially pop up in the film.

"Wicked" Movie Release Date

Chu originally said that the first Wicked film would release in December 2024, and the second would follow in December 2025. However, on March 14, 2023, the director gave a new update on Twitter regarding the first movie's premiere date. "'WICKED' NEWS: We are deep into production on 'WICKED' and everyday we get more and more excited to share with u the mischief we've been up to," he began. "So . . . We've decided to get it to you all a little earlier than planned. OUR NEW RELEASE Date is NOV 27th 2024! A little Thanksgiving treat!"

"Wicked" Movie Music

Stephen Schwartz, who wrote the music for the original Broadway production, is attached to the project, with rumors that he'll be writing new songs for the two movies. Fans will have to wait to see what songs Schwartz adds, but they can't question his résumé: in addition to "Wicked," Schwartz wrote the music for "Godspell," "Pippin," "Pocahontas," "The Prince of Egypt," and "Enchanted."

"Wicked" Movie Source Material

The "Wicked" movies are an adaptation of the Broadway show of the same name, which was based on Gregory Maguire's novel "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West." The novel is much darker than the more family-friendly stage show, but it's possible the movie will draw from some of the more adult themes of the source material.