Big news for "Wicked" fans as Colman Domingo joins the cast of "Wicked: For Good" as the voice of the Cowardly Lion. Stepping away from San Francisco theaters, where he kickstarted his career, Domingo will share the screen with a constellation of stars, including the likes of Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, and Jonathan Bailey. In a joint Instagram post with the "Wicked" film series' account, Domingo shared a playful video, hiding initially behind a stuffed lion and then revealing his face with the words, "See you in Oz." This fun announcement quickly went viral, pulling in over 50,000 likes in a mere couple of hours on Monday morning, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The casting choice was eagerly anticipated, with the internet abuzz about who would snag the iconic role. Prior rumors hinting at James Corden being the voice were dismissed, creating a wave of relief and celebration on social platforms, as one user excitedly posted, "James Corden isn't the lion in wicked! We won." Director Jon M. Chu managed to quickly seal the deal by sliding into Domingo's DMs, persuasively suggesting, "It's not a ton of lines, but maybe you have a little time. I know you're busy. I’ll come to you," as he told NBC News. Domingo's response was as swift as it was unequivocal, saying, "'Why the f--- not, let's go!' And then we went ahead and recorded the lines."
For Domingo, this role adds to a growing list of performances, with audiences soon able to catch him in Edgar Wright’s "The Running Man," launching in theaters November 7, and Gus Van Sant’s "Dead Man’s Wire," scheduled for January 16 release. Meanwhile, the Cowardly Lion, as played by Domingo, promises to breathe new life into a character that remained a young cub in Jon M. Chu's first "Wicked" installment but will emerge fully mature in "Wicked: For Good," meshing with the timeline of "The Wizard of Oz."
