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The cast of the “Wicked” movie almost looked a lot different, with Stephen Daldry as director and Lady Gaga and Shawn Mendes in lead roles.
The English director and producer of “The Crown” had Gaga in mind to play the character of Elphaba according to sources familiar with the project.
We hear he and the “Bad Romance” singer even met a few times to flesh out the character.
“They had meetings, the two of them, about the character and who she would be. [Gaga] was essentially cast in his version, and then it fell through,” the source said.
Shawn Mendes was rumored to star as Fiyero in the film, a role ultimately played by Jonathan Bailey.
Daldry — who was announced as the film’s director in 2016 — exited the project in 2020 due to scheduling conflicts, Variety reported at the time.
Meanwhile, Gaga went on to star in the ill-fated “Joker” sequel.
Jon M. Chu signed on as the film’s director, casting Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, as well as Ariana Grande as Glenda the Good Witch and “Fellow Travelers” star Bailey as Fiyero.
The musical adaptation also stars Michelle Yeoh, as well as Grande’s real life love interest Ethan Slater, and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard of Oz.
Grande and Erivo have bee making the rounds all year preparing to finally bring the Broadway musical to cinemas, after the project was in the making for over a decade.
Erivo recently gushed about the stars’ mutual affection for each other in an interview on Scott Evans’ Youtube series “House Guest.”
The duo even made a pact when it came to taking a stance on set with production.
“She and I were like, we have to work together. So, on the days when we need to say a couple of no’s, we take turns. ‘You say no sometimes. I say no sometimes.’ We built like a real partnership… between the two of us,” she said.
“Wicked” hits theaters on Thursday.
