‘Wicked’ fans have a new mystery to solve
Fans of the stage musical Wicked knew the story long before Jon M. Chu gave us Wicked in 2024. Now, with Wicked: For Good gearing up to be released, fans have some questions. One being who is playing Dorothy and her merry gang on their journey to the wizard.
In a new piece on Deadline, the director explains that there is a great actor taking on the role of the Cowardly Lion. But fans won’t know who it is until they see the film (or watch the red carpet coverage of the premiere). Chu said that he got the actor in question by reaching out on Instagram to them. “I was like, ‘It’s not a ton of lines, but maybe you have a little time. I know you’re busy. I’ll come to you.’ He was like, ‘Why the f*** not, let’s go!’ And then we went ahead and recorded the lines.”
Chu then went on to say that when this man attends the premiere, that’s when fans are going to have fun with whoever it is. “Man, wait until the red carpet when the actor who gave us the Cowardly Lion’s voice steps foot on it. It’ll be wild.” Meaning, no one knows and now everyone is speculating.
Who do you think it will be?
The guesses online range from James Corden to Pedro Pascal and jokes like Lin-Manuel Miranda. First off, it if was Miranda, Chu….definitely has his phone number thanks to In the Heights so I don’t think he’d need to DM him on Instagram. But the other two would be funny.
Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Cowardly Lion was someone like Lewis Black. But the original Cowardly Lion, Bert Lahr, was a Broadway actor. So maybe we go back to those roots for the role this time around? The possibilities are really endless because the role is, in Wicked, not that large but it still is going to be fun to see.
So the question really is: Who do you hope it will be?
(featured image: Universal Pictures)
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
