Wicked: everything you need to know about the new Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande film

The long-anticipated film adaptation of the hit musical that transformed The Wizard of Oz will premiere in the UK in less than a month.

Fans are excited to see how the two-part prequel will play out on the big screen.

It will tell the tale of the lead-up to Dorothy’s yellow brick road journey. It will also introduce Elphaba, a green-skinned witch who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, and her sister Glinda the Good Witch.

Wicked: Part One stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda.

It is a film adaptation of the hit musical that premiered on Broadway in 2003. In 2016, this earned more than $1 billion (£770,000) in Broadway revenue.

Here is everything we know about Wicked: Part One.

When is the release date for Wicked: Part One?

Wicked: Part One will be released in both the UK and US on November 22.

Wicked - UK premiere

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(Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)" />

(Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)" />

(AFP via Getty Images)" />

(Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)" />

The second part is due to come out in November 2025.

Why has it been split into two parts?

Director Jon M Chu explained on social media last year why the film would be in two parts.

“Special Wicked Update / Thank you for all the support these past several months in anticipation of the WICKED movie,” he told fans. “We have so many exciting things to share but for now I’m giving you one… or two, rather.

“Here’s what happened: As we prepared the production over the last year, it became impossible to wrestle the story of ‘Wicked’ into a single film without doing some real damage to it,” Chu said. “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. 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 for these beloved characters.”

Wicked cast

Cynthia Erivo

Elphaba will be played by English actress Cynthia Erivo, 37. She won a Tony Award for leading actress in 2016 after starring in the Broadway revival of The Color Purple. Erivo played Aretha Franklin in the TV series Genius and has appeared in other TV shows including Michaela Coel’s Chewing Gum and Broad City.

Ariana Grande

Pop star Ariana Grande, 31, will play Glinda. While best known for her music, Grande is no stranger to musical theatre. She made her Broadway debut in the musical 13 aged 15. She later starred in the Nickelodeon series Victorious before beginning her music career.

Jonathan Bailey

Jonathan Bailey, 36, will play Fiyero. Perhaps best known for playing Lord Anthony Bridgerton in Netflix’s Bridgerton, Bailey is also an accomplished theatre actor. He first appeared in Royal Shakespeare Company productions aged seven, before playing Gavroche in a West End production of Les Miserables.

Jeff Goldblum

Jeff Goldblum, 72, will play the Wizard. Goldblum is known for starring in major movies such as Jurassic Park, The Fly, and Independence Day — and several Wes Anderson films. Goldblum has also appeared in Broadway and West End plays such as Two Gentlemen of Verona and The Music Man.

Michelle Yeoh

Malayasian actress Michelle Yeoh, 62, joins the cast as Madame Morrible. Yeoh rose to fame in the 1990s after starring in Hong Kong action films. However, Western audiences will know her for films including Crazy Rich Asians and Everything Everywhere All At Once — the latter winning her the 2023 Oscar for Best Actress.

Ethan Slater

Ethan Slater, 32, plays Boq. He is known for playing SpongeBob SquarePants on Broadway, for which he was nominated for a Tony Award in 2018. He is rumoured to be dating his co-star, Grande.

What have fans said?

Fans are eagerly awaiting the film given that it has long been a hit musical.

Clips from the films released in the past few weeks have increased their excitement.

Fans have also noted how the changes are being made from spectacular sets to filming on camera.

And it isn’t just super fans who are excited. At a recent press screening of the film, all of the actresses who have played Glinda gathered.