‘Wicked: For Good’ Director Says He DM’d a Major Actor to Voice the Lion: ‘Man, Wait Until the Red Carpet’

Jon M. Chu showed a batch of courageousness erstwhile reaching retired to the idiosyncratic who voices the Cowardly Lion successful Wicked: For Good, with the manager revealing that helium simply slid into the celebrated actor’s DMs.

In an interrogation with Deadline published Thursday (Oct. 16), Chu teased that fans tin expect a precise acquainted dependable erstwhile Lion archetypal speaks successful the November-slated sequel to 2024’s Wicked. According to the filmmaker, helium had a peculiar performer successful caput — truthful helium sent him a connection connected Instagram.

“I was like, ‘It’s not a ton of lines, but possibly you person a small time,'” Chu told the publication. “‘I cognize you’re busy. I’ll travel to you.’ He was like, ‘Why the f–k not? Let’s go!’ And past we went up and recorded the lines.”

While playing coy astir whose dependable volition beryllium featured, Chu added, “Man, hold until the reddish carpet erstwhile the histrion who gave america the Cowardly Lion’s dependable steps ft connected it. It’ll beryllium wild.”

Released successful November 2024, the archetypal Wicked film was a large box-office success. It rapidly became the highest grossing adaptation of a Broadway philharmonic successful history, and its soundtrack scored a historic debut at No. 2 connected the Billboard 200.

The epic saga volition reason connected Nov. 21, erstwhile Part 2 arrives successful theaters. The 2nd movie volition diagnostic 2 caller tracks, with starring ladies Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo each singing 1 of them.

Of Grande’s, which is titled “Girl successful the Bubble,” Chu told Deadline, “This movie had to beryllium astir the courageousness of idiosyncratic popping their ain bubble, a bubble of privilege oregon their bubble of safety. … How are the decisions each of them made affecting the different successful their journey?”