Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande Won't Be Competing Against Each Other for Wicked Oscars

Bad news for theatre fans looking forward to an Elphaba v. Ginda rematch at next year's Academy Awards. According to a report in The Hollywood Reporter, Universal has asked that the upcoming movie musical's stars, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, be eligible in different categories, Erivo in Leading Actress for her performance as Elphaba and Grande in Supporting Actress for her performance as Glinda. At the 2004 Tony Awards, original stage stars Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel famously both received nominations in the Leading category, with Menzel ending up with the award.

Studios participating in Academy Award (along with other film accolades) category designations is not unusual, and the same is true for the Tony Awards. While there are rules designating actors as leading or supporting based on how they're billed in the opening night Playbill, productions frequently request designations that depart from those rules. Accepting those requests is the job of the Tony Awards Administration Committee, which almost always grants them. If they didn't, shows like Hamilton, which has always billed its entire company alphabetically in one block, would not have had any eligible leading or supporting performances. More recently, Eddie Redmayne was deemed eligible for Leading Actor in a Musical for his performance in the current revival of Cabaret, as was Alan Cumming for his Tony-winning turn in the 1998 revival; despite the role's originator, Joel Grey, winning in the Featured category in 1967. Whether or not these requests are made strategically to increase the likelihood of an actor winning a category is not something producers like to talk about on record.

The first of the two-part film version of the Broadway musical is set to hit movie theatres November 22, with the second to follow November 21, 2025. Jon M. Chu is directing.

Tony winner Erivo and Grammy winner Grande co-star as Elphaba and Glinda, respectively. Joining them in the cast are West End Company Olivier winner and Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, SpongeBob SquarePants star Ethan Slater as Boq, Emmy winner Peter Dinklage as Dr. Dillamond, 2023 Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard, and newcomer Marissa Bode as Nessarose, the first wheelchair-using actor in the musical's history to take on the role.

Stage and screen star Keala Settle, SNL's Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Aaron Teoh, and Colin Michael Carmichael also play roles new to the musical's screen version, with Settle as Miss Coddle, Carmichael as Professor Nikidik, and Yang, James, and Teoh as Shiz students Pfannee, ShenShen, and Avaric, respectively.

READ: Top 10 Thrillifying Easter Eggs in Wicked's New Trailer

The screen adaptation, which will include new songs by Stephen Schwartz, features a screenplay penned by Wicked book writer Winnie Holzman, and costumes designed by Tony winner Paul Tazewell.

Wicked, injecting a new backstory onto the classic tale The Wizard of Oz, debuted on Broadway in 2003 and continues to be an audience favorite at the Gershwin Theatre. Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, the musical features music and lyrics by Schwartz and a book by Holzman. The original cast included Tony winners Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth as Elphaba and Glinda, respectively. The musical is now the fourth longest-running production in Broadway history.

The show won 2004 Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Musical (Menzel), Best Costume Design (Susan Hilferty), and Best Scenic Design (Eugene Lee).