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Like the bulk of Hollywood’s biggest productions, the film adaptation of Broadway’s Wicked was shut down at the onset of the WGA writers strike. That labor dispute has since been resolved but, as of this writing, SAG-AFTRA remains on strike, meaning actors are still not working. As a result, Ariana Grande and her co-stars have not returned to the set of the Warner Bros. production to continue filming. This is surely a disappointing fact for fans of the Wizard of Oz-adjacent musical. However, the production standstill may actually serve as a silver lining for fans of Grande.
It goes without saying that director John Cho’s adaptation – which has been split into two parts – is a massive undertaking that requires the commitment of its cast and crew. So the 30-year-old singer, who plays Glinda in the movie, had been focusing much of her attention on it, before production was suspended in July. However, it now seems the Grammy winner has been using her time productively. A source claims she’s spent her down time working on her latest album. As for when the new tracks might actually arrive, the unnamed person had the following to say:
She doesn’t know when she’ll want to release [an album] … as she wants to be respectful of the timeline for ‘Wicked,’ and originally didn’t want to do any music at all until after the films were released. She works quickly and drops [in] instinctively whenever she feels ready… so who knows?
Though they told Page Six that there’s no indication as to when the album might be released, the mere mention of Ariana Grande working on new music is sure to be music to fans’ ears. (No pun intended there.) The source explained to the news outlet that Grande was indeed more concerned with her obligations to Wicked before filming was halted. But she seemingly decided to do some work in the studio once she had extra time on her hands. These claims should be taken with a grain of salt at the moment, but the notion of the always busy entertainer opting to make such moves does track. The supposed new album would be the seventh of her career and serve as a follow-up to 2020’s Positions.
The Don’t Look Up alum will, of course, eventually return to finish her work on the flick whenever the actors and studios agree to terms. In some ways, it feels like she was destined to play Glinda to Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba. Ariana Grande is longtime friends with the actress who originated the role on Broadway, Kristin Chenoweth. Since her casting was revealed, Chenoweth has praised her successor and at one point, even declared that she was “glad” Grande was the one cast in the role. The “Thank U, Next” seems to understand the responsibility she has to the fanbase. And based on what the source added, her dedication hasn’t wavered since she dove into other endeavors:
Her priority has been Glinda for the past two years, and still is, as they haven’t finished the film.
It’s tough that the movie is still on ice for the time being yet, it’s like they say, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade, right? Expect fans to wait anxiously for further updates on the actors strike and by extension, Wicked’s production schedule. Meanwhile, time will also tell whether these rumors of a new Ariana Grande album turn out to be true.
The first part of Wicked is expected to hit theaters on November 27 as part of the 2024 movie schedule, with part two set to debut on November 26, 2025.