Wicked Stars Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande & More Celebrate End of Filming on Wizard of Oz Prequel

Production on Jon M. Chu's hotly-anticipated, two-part adaptation of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Wicked has officially wrapped, several cast members — including lead stars Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba) and Ariana Grande (Glinda) — confirmed on Instagram this week. The prequel to The Wizard of Oz story we all know and love was only about a week away from completing principal photography when the SAG-AFTRA strike brought Hollywood to a screeching standstill last year.

"I’ve been trying to think of what I’d say when this day finally came, and I’m failing miserably, because honestly there aren’t enough words to fully express what this experience has meant to me, so I’ll leave you with this," Erivo wrote on Instagram, sharing a silhouetted image of her character riding atop a broomstick. "The universe will take things away to make space for the grand gifts it has waiting for us. This moment, this film, these people, this cast, this crew, this director, my Glinda, were the grandest gift I could ever have asked for, and I am eternally grateful for the chance to bring you this Elphie. I hope when you meet her, you’ll love her as much and as fiercely as I do. And with that I say, that’s a wrap for me, Elphie out!!"

RELATED: Cynthia Erivo Talks Taking Herself Out on a Date to See Wicked for the First Time

Grande posted a similar photo, quoting the song "For Good" in the caption and teasing Glinda's final transformation into the alleged "Good Witch" of Oz. We say "alleged" because Wicked is all about subverting the events we saw in the 1939 film. Was the Wicked Witch of the West truly evil, or was she merely the victim of effective propaganda peddled by the man running the show from behind the curtain? Speaking of that "Great and Powerful" figure, the Wizard will be played in the films by none other than Jeff Goldblum.

Chu, meanwhile, thanked Universal Pictures and the cast and crew "for supporting the most ambitious cinematic production I have ever been a part of or, frankly, ever witnessed." The director went on to tease highly-detailed sets for Munchkinland, Shiz University, and the Emerald City. "Most of the year my jaw has been on the floor and heart in the clouds," he wrote. "Cameras began rolling here in London in November of 2022 and now, in January 2024, our principal photography is officially wrapped."

Wicked Cast Members Celebrate End of Filming on Musical Adaptation

RELATED: Ariana Grande Belting "The Wizard and I" from Wicked Will Give You Chills

Who Stars in the Wicked Film Adaptation?

The two-part film adaptation of Wicked stars Cynthia Erivo (The Outsider) and Ariana Grande (Don't Look Up) as Shiz University roommates and future witches, Elphaba and Glinda. The former is a green-skinned outcast, who unjustly gains the reputation of Oz's most-hated citizen when she dares to defy the shady practices carried out by Jeff Goldblum's Wizard. Glinda, on the other hand, is a popular and vivacious student, who becomes a paragon of good-heartedness throughout the land.

Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh (playing Shiz University Headmistress Madame Morrible), Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton), Ethan Slater (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Bowen Yang (Saturday Night Live), Bronwyn James (Lockwood & Co.), Keala Settle (The Greatest Showman), Colin Michael Carmichael (Black Mirror), and relative newcomers Marissa Bode and Aaron Teoh round out the cast.

No trailer or approved production stills are available at this time, but with filming wrapped, odds are good we'll get our first teaser soon!

Suddenly in the mood for some Oz-universe fun? Head on over to Peacock and check out The Steam Engines of Oz starring Ron Perlman, William Shatner, and Julianne Hough.