They deserve each other! Ethan Slater, a Tony nominee for his performance in the title role of the SpongeBob SquarePants musical, has been cast in Universal’s two-part screen adaptation of the international hit musical Wicked, according to Variety.
Slater—whose screen credits include Murphy Brown, Instinct, and Fosse/Verdon—will play Boq. In the show, Boq is the Munchkinlander man who is in love with Glinda. The role was originated on Broadway by Christopher Fitzgerald.
The two-part film adaptation of the Broadway musical, currently set to release December 25 of 2024 and 2025, is being helmed by In the Heights screen director Jon M. Chu.
Slater joins a previously announced cast led by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo as Glinda and Elphaba, respectively, along with Olivier winner and Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero. Film star and Broadway alum Jeff Goldblum is in final talks to take on the role of the Wizard.
The two-part Wicked film adaptation, which will include new songs by Stephen Schwartz, will feature a screenplay by stage book writer Winnie Holzman, with Tony winner Paul Tazewell designing the costumes.
Wicked began previews on Broadway October 8, 2003, with an
official opening October 30 at the Gershwin, where it continues. The original cast of Wicked included Tony winners
Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth as, respectively, the green-faced,
misunderstood Elphaba and the bubbly blonde Glinda. Wicked has subsequently been performed in over 100 cities in 16 countries. In October 2019, the international hit musical surpassed Les Misérables to become the fifth longest-running production in Broadway history.
READ: 11 Elphabas Reflect on Playing Broadway's Not-So-Wicked Witch
Wicked, with music and lyrics by Schwartz and a book by Holzman, is based on the novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire.
Wicked won 2004 Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Musical (Menzel), Best Costume Design (Susan Hilferty), and Best Scenic Design (Eugene Lee).
