Latifah is on board to play the titular Wiz, while Blige is set to play the Wicked Witch of the West.
- July 29, 2015
AceShowbiz -
Two big names in music have been added to the cast of NBC's next live musical special, "The Wiz". Executive producer Craig Zadan takes to Twitter to announce that Queen Latifah and Mary J. Blige are officially on board the production.
Latifah is cast as the titular Wiz, who holds the keys to the Emerald City. She is keeping the secret that her metamorphosis from ordinary to extraordinary is a hoax since she only got to Oz as a result of a faulty hot air balloon ride.
Blige, meanwhile, is set to portray Evillene or the Wicked Witch of the West, who holds sway over the Winkies and the Winged Monkeys that do her bidding. She's on a mission to avenge the unintentional murder of her evil sister, Evvamean, and to get back the powerful silver slippers given to Dorothy by the Good Witch of the North.
Latifah and Blige join Stephanie Mills, who starred as Dorothy in the original Broadway production and will portray Aunt Em in the NBC adaptation.
Executive Producers @craigzadan @neilmeron
welcome
@IAMQUEENLATIFAH @maryjblige
to join
@PrettyMill1
in
#TheWizLive
@nbc
Thu Dec 3rd
— Craig Zadan (@craigzadan) July 28, 2015NBC's "The Wiz", an adaptation of a 1975 Broadway hit based on "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz", reimagines L. Frank Baum's tale with an all-black cast and an NYC-inspired Land of Oz. After the television premiere on December 3, the musical will then become a Broadway revival for a 2016-2017 season. Kenny Leon will direct both the TV production and the Broadway revival.
