This article originally posted from Deadliner.com.
In what is sure to disappoint Wicked fans, Ariana Grande will not complete her role as Galinda in the sequel to last year’s hit musical, “Wicked”, a role that earned her her first Academy Award nomination. Director Jon M. Chu explained the casting change: “Regretably, Ariana has requested to drop out of the sequel to pursue a different film at this time. A new opportunity opened up and her contract had been drafted where she’d be free to explore other opportunities, especially in music. I just wish I hadn’t scheduled her scenes so late in our process. Now we have to quickly move to recasting her to make our November 2025 release date.”
When asked why they won’t use CGI to keep her in the movie, Chu explained: “A CGI face replacement was an idea floated to me, but even though the technology has come a long way, it’s not perfect, especially in close-ups. There were too many close-ups planned for Ariana. Plus, if the audience already knows we replaced her face digitally, that’s all they’ll be looking for when they watch the film – trying to spot where it doesn’t work perfectly instead of getting lost in the story. It’s a distraction we don’t need. I feel like audiences can forgive a new actor in the role more than using CGI.”
Chu is correct about audiences responding favorably to recasting versus CGI. The Harry Potter movies were still wildly successful after Richard Harris was replaced by Michael Gambon after Harris’ death.
“I have to defy gravity and get moving!”
The “Crazy Rich Asians” director declined to reveal the new movie Grande chose over Wicked 2 but did seem excited about revisiting the casting process.
“The search for Ariana’s successor will be a challenge, but I welcome challenges. Obviously Galinda has already been played by a number of actresses on stage, so I’m confident we can do it. We will! We owe it to the fans!”
Grande’s publicist has yet to respond with a statement about this development but it’s speculated she chose to explore a role that would guarantee her the Oscar this time and get her one award closer to the coveted EGOT. Her desire to achieve the status was revealed on the red carpet earlier this month at the 97th Acadamy Awards.
“It’d be really cool,” she said, “I heard Cynthia talk about the EGOT when she was nominated. She was one away from getting hers! It’s hard to do and I’ve only completed the Grammy part of it so far, so I have to defy gravity and get moving!”
Wicked: For Good releases in theaters worldwide November 25, 2025.