In an interview with Deadline’s Baz Bamigboye, Cynthia Erivo addressed the rumor that she and Ariana Grande would reprise their roles in Wicked on Broadway for a limited run next year.
Both actresses have previously starred on Broadway: Erivo won a Tony award for her performance as Celie in The Color Purple and Grande began her professional career in Jason Robert Brown’s 13: The Musical.
“That’s not going to happen,” Erivo told Deadline. “Neither one of us has time. We have another film to put out. And also there are other ladies who need the chance. We’ve had our chance. I’ve had my chance, and I’m very grateful for it. Doing that would feel a little bit selfish. I understand where the idea comes from, but we’ve done it. We had this.”
On what she might be doing next instead, Erivo says: “We have an inkling of what we’re doing next. I can’t say because we can’t tell anyone. There are some really cool things and I’m having some really lovely meetings with people. And I’m very excited. I have choice, which is nice.”
The Wicked film adaptation also stars Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Ethan Slater as Boq, and Marissa Bode as Nessarose. The first part was released on November 22, 2024, with Part Two hitting theaters on November 21, 2025.