It’s been relatively quiet on the music front for Ariana Grande, but that’s because the Grammy-winning superstar is gearing up for the role of a lifetime. On Tuesday (Aug. 30), the “Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored” singer took to Instagram to share a whimsical new photoset that concluded with a tease of her upcoming role in Wicked.
In Grade’s Instagram picture, she captures herself gazing fondly at busts of different Wizard of Oz characters including the Lion, the Tin Man, Elphaba, and, of course, Glinda, whom she is set to play in the film adaptation of the Tony Award-winning stage musical Wicked. The stage show’s characters are based on the characters from L. Frank Baum’s classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and 1939 film.
Grande and Cynthia Erivo — who will star as Elphaba — were officially announced as the co-leaders of the new Wicked films last November, which Jon M. Chu is directing. Chu, who previously helmed In the Heights and Crazy Rich Asians, announced in April that Wicked would be split into two separate films that will arrive “on successive Christmas holidays beginning December 2024.”
Idina Menzel, the Tony-winning actress who originated the role of Elphaba in the stage musical said of the upcoming project, “I know it’s in great hands and I’ve sent so much love to Cynthia and Ariana, and I’m there for them if they need me.”
Grande has earned five No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 including 2013’s Yours Truly, 2018’s Sweetener, and 2020’s Positions. Over on the Hot 100, the “Love Me Harder” singer has amassed six No. 1 singles from 100 overall entries including “Stuck With U” (with Justin Bieber), “Rain On Me” (with Lady Gaga), and “7 rings.”
Check out Ariana’s Instagram post here:
