Oscar-nominated actor Colman Domingo has officially joined Wicked: For Good as the voice of the Cowardly Lion, the Wicked team revealed Monday morning in a new Instagram post.
In the clip, a plush lion fills the frame before being pulled away to reveal Domingo himself, smirking, winking, and teasing fans with a perfectly delivered “See you in Oz.” And honestly? Yes, Colman, we will. Tickets already secured.
Wicked: For Good will bring back Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande), in a thrilling conclusion to their story in Oz. Also returning is Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Jeff Goldblum as Wizard, Ethan Slater as Boq, and Marissa Bode as Nessarose.
The teaser for the film has already shown a snippet of the Cowardly Lion, who will join the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Dorothy on their mission down the Yellow Brick Road to find the Wizard. Director Jon M. Chu previously teased the identity of the Lion in an interview, saying, “Man, wait until the red carpet when the actor who gave us the Cowardly Lion’s voice steps foot on it. It’ll be wild.”
Well, it looks like Christmas came early, folks.
Domingo has been on a major career streak. After earning an Oscar nomination for portraying Bayard Rustin in Rustin and another for producing and starring in Sing Sing, he’s went on to star in projects like the Netflix comedy The Four Seasons. Domingo, who also appeared in The Color Purple, is a Primetime Emmy winner for Euphoria and continues to collect honors like the Palm Springs Spotlight Award, cementing his status as one of Hollywood’s most dynamic and celebrated talents.
What We Know About the Lion
Fans of the book or Broadway production know the fate of these Ozian characters, but in case you forgot, here’s a little breakdown (spoiler free). We first met the Cowardly Lion in the first Wicked film, when Elphaba and Fiyero save him as a cub. Dr. Dillamond has been dismissed from his post at Shiz University, and his replacement wastes no time unveiling a grim vision of Oz’s future, bringing in a caged animal as a chilling classroom “demonstration.”
Elphaba, distraught by the presentation, uses her powers to put the entire classroom to sleep, except for Fiyero, who helps her release the cub into the wild. What comes next? You’ll have to watch and find out.
Who is Playing Dorothy
After the release of the first Wicked film, fans were quick to speculate who would play the iconic young Kansas girl, and her little dog too. However, the cast has shot down the rumors, and the answer might shock you. According to interviews with Erivo and Grande for Empire, no one will be the “face” of Dorothy. She will have a bigger role in the movie than she did in the stage production, but you will only see the girl from afar.
“I think that’s such a wonderful thing to do,” Erivo told Empire. “because then everyone gets to keep the Dorothy that they know.”
In an interview with Cinema Blend, Chu echoed this idea, saying they worked very delicately on bringing Dorothy’s character into Elphaba and Glinda’s story. “How much of do you see of Dorothy? I’m going to leave people— I can’t confirm or deny how much you see of her. I will say that I do think it’s important for, whoever Dorothy is to you, to try to respect that as much as possible. But does The Wizard of Oz and our movie intersect in movie two more than ever? 100%.”
Wicked: For Good will hit theaters on November 21! Grab your tickets now.
