When it comes to film adaptations to broadway musicals, such as The Phantom of the Opera, or dare we say Cats, people have mixed opinions about the translation of artistic mediums. Some say that musicals should remain on the stage, while others can have an appreciation for film being an entirely different take on the same story. However you may feel, when Wicked announced that its two leading witches would be played by none other than Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, you just know it’s going to be good.

Directed by Jon M. Chu, who brought us Crazy Rich Asians, this adaptation of the cult-favorite musical will star Erivo as Elphaba and Grande as Glinda. This film has been in the works since 2004, a year after the musical made it’s splash on to the broadway scene and proceeded to bring in a whopping billion dollars in ticket sales over the years.

If you’re not familiar with the story of Wicked, it can be summarized as a story of friendship and struggle between characters we know from The Wizard of Oz, Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda the Good Witch.

It will be interesting to see what these two performers bring individually to their respective performances. We know Grande comes from a background in musical theater, but much of her career as of late has been dominated by the more mainstream pop scene, so it’s good to see her get back to her roots. With Erivo, she is well-known for her groundshaking film performances as a two-time Oscar nominee for her role in Harriet, as well as taking on the monumental task of depicting Aretha Franklin in Genius: Aretha. Erivo also has a Tony and a Grammy under her belt for her performance in The Color Purple. 

Needless to say, casting two powerhouse women in roles of iconic status is surely going to be good.