Colman Domingo Joins ‘Wicked: Part two’ as the Cowardly Lion
Actor and playwright Colman Domingo has been officially cast as the Cowardly Lion in the upcoming film sequel to Wicked, ending days of online speculation about the role. The announcement was made monday by the film’s official Instagram account, featuring Domingo surrounded by lion plush toys and concluding with the line, “See you in Oz.”
Director Jon M. Chu had previously hinted at a major Hollywood star joining the production on Thursday. Domingo joins a cast that already includes Ariana Grande as Glinda and cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, alongside Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum.
According to Deadline,Chu reached out to Domingo via Instagram,acknowledging the role wasn’t line-heavy but hoping Domingo might be interested. Domingo reportedly responded with,”Why the f— not. Let’s go.”
Domingo is a two-time Academy Award nominee and a Primetime Emmy Award winner, and was recently named one of time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2024.
Wicked: Part Two continues the story following the events of the first film, released in November 2024, which grossed more than any other movie in the UK that year and received 10 Oscar nominations, winning two for best costume and production design.The sequel explores Elphaba’s status as an enemy of Oz and Glinda’s role as a public figure under the control of the Wizard, played by Goldblum. The trailer also suggests a larger role for Dorothy and her companions.
Filmed simultaneously with the first installment at Sky studios Elstree in the United Kingdom between December 2022 and January 2024,production was briefly paused due to the 2023 hollywood actors’ strike. Wicked: Part Two is scheduled for release on November 21, almost a year after its predecessor. The films are based on the popular Broadway and West End musical, which in turn was adapted from Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel.
