Original Wicked Star Kristin Chenoweth Plays Coy About Movie Cameo

Production is currently underway on the two-part Wicked movie, the long-awaited adaptation of the iconic musical and novel of the same name. The Wicked franchise might be best known for its long-running Broadway run, which was anchored by Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel's performances as Galinda and Elphaba. In a recent interview with ET, Chenoweth revealed that she "cannot confirm or deny" whether she will make some sort of cameo in the new film, but praised Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo's new take on the characters.

"I really...I really cannot," Chenoweth insisted. "I'm waiting and we'll see."

"I'm going to get to watch two women I know soar, and Ariana Grande is going to step so beautifully into my shoes," Chenoweth gushed. "I'm so excited for her, she's gonna put her own stamp on it."

What is Wicked about?

Wicked is a prequel to the iconic events of The Wizard of Oz, and tells the story of two unlikely friends, Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) and Galinda (whose name later changes to Glinda the Good Witch), who struggle through opposing personalities and viewpoints, rivalry over the same love-interest, reactions to the Wizard's corrupt government, and, ultimately, Elphaba's public fall from grace. The cast will also include Ariana Grande as Galinda, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Ethan Slater as Boq, Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard, Bowen Yang and Bronwyn James as Pfannee and ShenShen, Marissa Bode as Elphaba's sister Nessarose, Keala Settle as Miss Coddle, Aaron Teoh as Avaric and Colin Michael Carmichael as Professor Nikidik.

The musical, which first debuted on Broadway in 2003, has become a beloved part of musical theater, ultimately grossing over $1 billion in total Broadway revenue in 2016. The original production of Wicked featured Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, both of whom had been among the wishlist fans have had for the movie adaptation.

When will the Wicked movie premiere?

Wicked will be split into a two-part movie saga, the first of which will arrive in December of 2024, and the second of which will arrive in December of 2025.

"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 wrote in a statement when the decision to split it into two films was announced. "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."

Are you excited for the Wicked movie? What do you think of Kristin Chenowith's new comments? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!