Wicked: For Good has a secret major cast member, director Jon M. Chu teases
Wicked: For Good has a secret major actor voicing the Cowardly Lion, director Jon M. Chu has teased.
Wicked: For Good features a secret major actor, director Jon M. Chu has said.
The upcoming musical blockbuster picks up after the events of 2024’s Wicked and follows Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba and Ariana Grande’s Glinda, and Chu, 45, has now revealed that The Cowardly Lion is voiced by a major actor.
During an interview with Deadline, the Crazy Rich Asians director said: “Man, wait until the red carpet when the actor who gave us The Cowardly Lion's voice steps foot on it. It'll be wild.”
Chu explained he directly messaged the actor on Instagram, and although the filmmaker emphasised the role was only small, the secret star seemed enthusiastic about it.
He said: “I was like, ‘It's not a ton of lines, but maybe you have a little time. I know you're busy. I'll come to you.’ He was like, 'Why the f*** not, let’s go!’ And then we went ahead and recorded the lines.”
As well as The Cowardly Lion, Wicked: For Good will introduce other Wizard of Oz favourites like The Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Dorothy Gale - though Chu insisted the girl from Kansas would be more of a background character in the film.
Wicked: For Good - which is based on the second half of the Broadway musical - will follow Elphaba (Erivo) and Glinda (Grande) after they parted ways in the first movie.
Now a fugitive, Elphaba flees to the western skies and forests, while Glinda rises as a public figure manipulated by the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh).
Wicked: For Good will also star Jonathan Bailey as Prince Fiyero and Ethan Slater as Boq.
Reflecting on the movie, Chu described Wicked: For Good as “part monster movie”, and dubbed Elphaba a “superhero” thanks to her powers.
He said: “Elphaba’s a superhero in this one. I mean that opening, cold open, she comes down.
“We wanted to show how powerful she really was. I think this is how you show a superhero, especially these women as superheroes, and not have to fit into what a guy’s superhero is, the stereotype of it all.
“Elphaba’s her own person and Glinda could be too. It’s also the origin story of Glinda the Good.”
The director also commented on the conflicted emotions of Glinda after being forced to choose between her best friend and the Wizard of Oz, and how the Good Witch represents “us”.
He explained: “Totally, I think that’s us. I think we wish we could be Elphaba and have that kind of moment of clarity, but I think most of the time we’re not that clear.
“And we go back and forth and we hide in our bubble. More times than not, no matter how much we say we’re an ally of this or that, or how much we’re against this or that, most of the time we just stay in our own world.
“And I think to watch someone, and especially Ariana, navigate this character and break her for us, maybe gives us a little bit of a guideline that we can do it at any time.”
