'Wizard of Oz' prequel casts Ethan Slater as Boq in film with Ariana Grande

Universal’s big-screen adaptation of ‘Wicked’ has cast Broadway veteran Ethan Slater. He has been cast as Boq in the project.

Directed by Jon M. Chu, the film will have Slater join the previously announced cast of Ariana Grande as Glinda, Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero. Jeff Goldblum is in talks to play the Wizard.

The film will be a prequel to ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and will tell the story of everything leading up to Dorothy’s arrival in Oz and the secret friendship between Glinda the Good Witch and Elphaba, the eventual Wicked Witch of the West. Boq is the romantic interest of Elphaba’s younger sister Nessarose but he only asks her out to impress Glinda, his true love.

The film adaptation will be in two parts and is scheduled for release in Christmas 2024 and 2025. It is based on a screenplay by the musical’s book writer Winnie Holzman and Oscar-winning composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, who adapted Gregory Maguire’s bestselling novel ‘Wicked’ for the stage musical.

It will be produced by Marc Platt alongwith David Stone.