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It’s straight to Oz for “Bridgerton” star and Olivier Award winner Jonathan Bailey. He is the latest addition to the highly anticipated stage-to-scree adaptation of the Broadway musical “Wicked.” Here’s everything we know so far about the exciting casting announcement.
Jonathan Bailey Will Play Fiyero in the New “Wicked” Films.
After Variety reported that Jonathan Bailey was in talks to join the new “Wicked” movies, director Jon M. Chu confirmed the news. He shared via Twitter, writing, “He’s perfect, they’re perfect. They’d be perfect together. Born to be forever….. I am too excited to pretend this hasn’t been happening. We have a Fiyero!!!!” Bailey followed up with a not-so-subtly-coded Instagram post with the caption “Dancing through” (a reference to the Fiyero song “Dancing Through Life”).
As of now, Bailey is best known for his role in the hit period drama “Bridgerton.” In the Netflix/Shondaland series, he plays Lord Anthony Bridgerton. On stage, he most recently starred in a West End production of the Mike Bartlett play “Cock” and won an Olivier Award in 2019 for the London production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Company.”
As previously reported, the upcoming two-parter film will star Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda. A prequel to “The Wizard of Oz,” the story follows Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda the Good Witch, “whose relationship struggles through their opposing personalities and viewpoints, same love-interest, reactions to the Wizard's corrupt government, and, ultimately, Elphaba’s private fall from grace.”
The original musical has been running on Broadway at the Gershwin Theatre since 2003, making it the fifth-longest running show on Broadway of all time. The production received three Tony Awards, a Grammy Award, and seven Drama Desk Awards.
The “Wicked” two-parter is due out on Christmas 2024 and 2025, respectively. Stage and screen vets The Telsey Office, who also cast the stage version, is the casting team.
Looking to get cast? Apply to casting calls on Backstage.
