“These two witches!!,” movie director John M. Chu wrote via Instagram on Thursday, November 4, officially announcing the casting news. “The emotional moment I got to tell @cynthiaerivo and @arianagrande that they were our Elphaba and Galinda in the @WickedMovie for @unistudios 😭😭😭wait until you see what they bring!! It is other worldly. Ahhhhh!!!”

Shortly after the news made headlines, the 34-year-old England native could hardly contain her excitement about playing Elphaba in the picture, writing via Instagram, “Pink goes good with Green 💚💚💚,” alongside a photo of a pink bouquet sent by the 28-year-old Voice mentor.

“Dear Cynthia, Honored doesn’t even begin to cover it,” the Florida native wrote, according to Erivo’s social media upload. “I Cannot wait to hug you. See you in Oz. All my love, Ari.”

The Tony winner, for her part, also sent a pink floral arrangement to Grande, noting, “Pink goes good with green. Congratulations Miss A, the part was made for you. I look forward to sharing this musical journey with you.”

The Sam and Cat alum’s mom, Joan Grande, noted via social media on Thursday that she was “bursting with pride” over the news.

Following the announcement, Idina Menzel — who previously won a Tony Award in 2004 for her portrayal of Elphaba in the original Broadway production — celebrated passing the Wicked baton to the new stars.

“Congrats to two amazing women,” the Beaches actress, 50, captioned an Instagram post on Thursday. “May it change your lives for the better forever and ever as it has for us. So much love. @cynthiaerivo @arianagrande 💚💖.”

While the Wicked adaptation has been in the works for more than 10 years, Menzel’s Broadway counterpart Kristin Chenoweth has been a fervent supporter of the Victorious alum taking over her popular gig.

“I’ve been plugging for these two for a while,” the Pushing Daisies alum, 53, previously told Us Weekly in September 2019. “You know, it’s Ariana and Dove [Cameron] for me. For sure, that’s who I think is fit for the role. Those two.”

At the time, Chenoweth couldn’t help but gush over her relationship with the “Positions” songstress, who she recently joined on the Voice as a guest coach.

“I just was so excited to sing with my little mentor, my little mentee,” Chenoweth told Us at the time. “I’m older than her and I want her to remember the things I’ve tried to teach. … I’m learning from her. She’s teaching me a lot too. I think that’s the best part about a friendship, especially one separated by a couple of decades.”

Scroll below to see how the stars have reacted to the movie casting of Elphaba and Galinda:

In order to view the gallery, please allow Manage Cookies

This story originally appeared on: US Magazine - Author:Miranda Siwak