Ariana Grande has been pictured as Glinda The Good Witch in full costume while filming on the Buckinghamshire, UK set of the highly-anticipated Hollywood adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked.
On Tuesday the crooner was seen in character as she arrives at Shiz University in the Land Of Oz in photos obtained by DailyMail.com.
Grande hugs then blows kisses to her parents while on the eye-poppingly colorful campus. Other students are seen in royal blue uniforms as they stand next to stacks of suitcases.
Ariana – who recently enjoyed her two year wedding anniversary with Dalton Gomez – is not the only cast member spied on the busy set.
There are also images of Cynthia Erivo, who is in costume as Elphaba, the Wicked Witch Of The West. Michelle Yeoh is spotted with a gray wig and a large robe as she plays Madame Morrible. And Marissa Bode as the Wicked Witch’s sister Nessarose Thropp is spied for the first time in her wheelchair.
New look: Ariana Grande has been pictured again as Glinda The Good Witch in full costume while filming on the Buckinghamshire, UK set of the highly-anticipated Hollywood adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked
Kisses: On Tuesday the crooner was seen in character as she arrives at Shiz University in the Land Of Oz in photos obtained by DailyMail.com.
Family time: Grande hugs then blows kisses to her parents while on the eye-poppingly colorful campus
The set has been created in a farmer’s field in the village of Ivinghoe, near Leighton Buzzard. The university set features a seven-million-liter lake, complete with spectacular wooden boats.
Wicked is a prequel to The Wizard Of Oz based on the novel by Gregory Maguire.
The new scene takes place on the dock of the school.
The 29-year-old Ariana wears a pale lavender blazer with a matching skirt and pointy shoes with her blonde hair down and a light blue hat worn to the side.
She is very animated as she converses with her parents.
Ariana’s parents are dressed up in their finest to drop off their young girl for school. Mom has on a pale lavender coat and long skirt with light purple heels. She too has a hat on, which rests over her blonde curled hair.
Dad, played by Adam James, is very dapper in a pale beige coat and matching slacks with dark gray dress shoes and a top hat in pale beige with a fancy ribbon. He wears his hair on the longer side and gray with deep sideburns.
All three wear gloves.
A full set: Other students are seen in royal blue uniforms as they stands next to stacks of suitcases
Break time: Here Grande holds a Barbie pink purse as she talks to two male crew members between scenes
Yeoh is also seen as Madame Morrible in her gray wig and a long rust-colored velvet robe with gold accents and big shoulder pads. Her face cannot be seen.
The role of Madame Morrible was originated by Tony winning British-born actress Carole Shelley in the 2003 Broadway production.
Morrible – a character who also been played by Miriam Margolyes – is the headmistress of Crage Hall at Shiz University and a cohort of The Wizard.
Erivo is seen in full costume in her all black attire as Elphaba, the Wicked Witch Of The West. She has on a black dress with black stocking and black shoes. Her face is painted completely green which makes her almost unrecognizable.
She is seen with Yeoh as they have a discussion. She is also seen walking on set with Grande and her male pals. They carry black umbrellas.
Bode is seen in a wheelchair as the Wicked Witch’s sister Nessarose Thropp who becomes the Wicked Witch of the East.
She is physically disabled younger sister of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West.
In the new photos, she is seen arriving at the university by a sail boat with several male attendants around her. Her face cannot be seen, only her long black curly hair as she wears a blue uniform.
New look: Also seen was Marissa Bode as the Wicked Witch’s sister Nessarose Thropp who becomes the Wicked Witch Of The East. She is in a wheelchair on a boat
Not yet rolling: The boat is seen on the far right next to the dock that is full of students and suitcases
The film is based on Gregory Maguire’s best selling novel and the hit Broadway musical adaptation, which debuted in 2003 starring Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel.
It is a prequel to the The Wizard of Oz in which the storyline proceeds Dorothy and details the one-time friendship between the Elphaba and Glinda characters.
It also stars Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, as well as Bowen Yang, Adam James, Keala Settle and Bronwyn James.
Wicked, which is being adapted into a two-part series, has kept details of its shoot under wraps.
Wicked Part 1 was originally set for a Christmas Day, 2024 release but it has been moved up to November 27, 2024, with the second installment set to arrive December 25, 2025.
Earlier this year, Jeff Goldblum let it slip that he had been cast in the film while appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
‘I was just on the set of Wicked. I’m not supposed to talk about that. But it’s been out and about,’ he said. ‘You should see our witches, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, very good.’
Off camera: There are also images of Ariana on set as she wears a black down jacket that is falling off her shoulders
And in March the stars of the film, Ariana and Cynthia, posted first look images from their upcoming movie.
Grande posted an image of her character, the good witch Glinda, donning a pink gown while making her way up a long staircase.
Erivo, 36, shared a shot of her character, wicked witch Elphaba pictured with her hat and broom.
The film’s director Jon M. Chu posted both of shots with the caption, ‘You weren’t told the whole story. What happens when you veer off the Yellow Brick Road? FIRST LOOK of the #WickedMovie … currently in production in Oz.’
Erivo responded in the comments, ‘It’s been wonderful making magic with you.’
Here comes Cynthia! She was also seen with Cynthia Erivo, who is in full costume as Elphaba, the Wicked Witch Of The West.
Together again: They walk together for a while on the set, but are not seen filming a scene together
The ladies need their shade: Erivo and Grande both hold up black umbrellas as they walk by a set of Translux trailers
Chu also took to Twitter to praise his leading ladies and their performances in the upcoming movie.
‘I’ve already been changed for good by these two women… #CynthiaErivo & #ArianaGrande as the Witches of Oz,’ he said.
‘They will lift ur spirits, break ur heart and leave you speechless with their voices. So excited to introduce you into our world… SO much more to come…’
Meanwhile, original Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth has said she is ‘so proud’ of Grande for taking on her role of Glinda.
The 54-year-old actress was nominated for a Tony Award when she originated the part of the good witch in the smash hit musical and revealed the 29-year-old pop star was ‘really scared’ at the idea of taking on the role in the upcoming two-part movie adaptation.
Rolling film: Erivo films her scenes with Michelle Yeoh who is seen with a gray wig and a large coat as she plays Madame Morrible
It is quite the set! They are standing on a platform that is by the water; there is also an ornate covered area near them
Crew around them too: There were two crew members off to the side as one held onto a camera
The costume lady made the scene too: A wardrobe person adjusted the long robe that had a high neck
A bigger look at the university: There were fuchsia flowers in large blue pots off to the side
Speaking on The Kelly Clarkson Show, she said this week: ‘She didn’t call me for advice but she was really nervous. She said she wanted to pay homage to me but said ‘I’m really scared, I wanna make you proud’.
‘Well, she’s already made me proud. Done. Check.”
The former Pushing Daisies actress – who has known Ariana since she met her backstage at Wicked as a young fan almost 20 years ago – urged the Thank U, Next hitmaker to make the role her own.
And she recalled their shared excitement when the singer called her to tell her she’d got the part.
She added: ‘I said ‘What I want to encourage you do, Ariana, is make Glinda your Glinda. I want you to do you.’ I’ve known her since I was 10, and now I see the full circle.
A massive set: The set has been created in a farmer’s field in the village of Ivinghoe, near Leighton Buzzard
So much work for one movie: The university set features a seven-million-liter lake, complete with spectacular wooden boats
Dreamt up fun: Wicked is a prequel to The Wizard Of Oz based on the novel by Gregory Maguire
A grand school: The Shiz University is very pretty with a lake, fancy buildings, pink flowers and balconies
‘She called me [crying] like ‘I got it!’ I went ‘Oh my God, what?!’ We sounded like dogs! But I’m so proud of her. ‘
Ariana regularly calls Kristin about her ideas for her character and the ‘West Wing’ star “can’t wait” to see her on the big screen.
She said: ‘[Ariana] calls me and says ‘This is what I got to do, what do you think?’ I can’t wait to see her do it. I can’t wait. She just said ‘Kristin, I’m gonna be freaking out on the night of the premiere’
‘So I said ‘Stop, you’re gonna be great!'”
The synopsis for the movie is: ‘In an alternate look at the land of Oz, the true heroine is wrongfully cast as the “wicked” witch and actually turns out to be a freedom fighter who battles against the wizard for her homeland.’
The release date for part one is November 27, 2024 in the US and it is distributed by Universal Pictures. The second installment is set to arrive on December 25, 2025. The director is Jon M Chu and the producers are Marc Platt and David Stone.
Source: Dailymail.com
