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.
