The film could have been completely different.
After months of waiting, part one of Wicked is finally out tomorrow (22 Nov) but it was close to being a different film entirely.
Jon M. Chu is the director of the movie but he wasn't the first person to try and make the project happen. Stephen Daldry was on-board as director from 2016 to 2020 – and he had some different plans for the casting.
Instead of Cynthia Erivo starring as the iconic green witch Elphaba, Lady Gaga was expected to take the role.
A source revealed: "They had meetings, the two of them, about the character and who she would be. [Gaga] was essentially cast in his version, and then it fell through."
These discussions are thought to have taken place after Lady Gaga played Ally in A Star Is Born, a role that received widespread acclaim.
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Who else could have starred in Wicked?
Lady Gaga wasn't the only pop star in the running either. Jonathan Bailey's character Fiyero was set to be played by Shawn Mendes.
It would have been Shawn's first major live action role. So far, he's starred in one episode of The 100 (2016) and two years ago, he voiced Lyle in Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (2022).
With the film due out tomorrow, it's one of the most highly anticipated films of the year. For many years, Ariana has been public about her dream to play Glinda The Good Witch in Wicked.
Her debut album even featured 'Popular Song' with MIKA, which samples the song 'Popular' from Wicked.
She's called the role of Glinda "a homecoming" for her, as Wicked was one of the first Broadway shows she saw as a child.
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Ariana said, "This music has always brought such comfort and now being able to spend time with it and be trusted with it is the privilege of a lifetime."
According to Ariana, she channelled her experiences with loss during filming. In 2017, there was a bombing at her concert in Manchester. Twenty-two people died and over a thousand more were injured.
The following year, Ariana's ex-partner Mac Miller passed away.
She explained, "Losing someone you love is something we've all unfortunately had to experience. Sometimes we have the privilege to say goodbye and sometimes we don't."
