Cynthia Erivo will compete for Best Actress with Ariana Grande in Supporting

Their place in Oz — and the Oscars — has been determined.

On Friday, Universal announced that Wicked: For Good star Cynthia Erivo will campaign for Best Actress in her role as Elphaba/the Wicked Witch of the West, while Ariana Grande will compete in the Supporting Actress category for her role as Glinda the Good. These mirror last year’s submissions, when Wicked earned 10 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actress (Erivo), Best Supporting Actress (Grande), as well as nods for Costume Design, Production Design, Editing, Visual Effects, Sound, Score, and Makeup & Hairstyling. The film won for costume and production design.

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There was a question about whether Erivo and Grande would switch categories, since Glinda has a much more elevated role in Act 2 of the stage show. There was also speculation they could follow the path of the original Broadway stars, Idina Menzel (Elphaba) and Kristin Chenoweth (Glinda), who were both nominated for the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical, with Menzel ultimately triumphing. Of course, by keeping their categories consistent, Erivo and Grande won’t risk confusing voters or having to campaign against each other.

Director Jon M. Chu filmed both parts back to back and has described the sequel as “a much more mature, emotional journey.” Original cast members Jeff Goldblum (The Wizard), Michelle Yeoh (Madam Morrible), Ethan Slater (Boq), Jonathan Bailey (Prince Fiyero), and Bowen Yang (Pfannee) all return, although some of them will take on dramatically different roles as the musical sets the stage for the events depicted in the classic Judy Garland version of The Wizard of Oz.

Hours before the categories were announced, Chu was at the London Film Festival to discuss the upcoming sequel and show off a clip featuring Erivo and Grande.

The brief sequence, which has not been released online, features the characters’ secret reunion on Glinda’s wedding day, following the events of the “Defying Gravity” climax of Act 1. Glinda, draped in a wedding gown, pleads with her friend to make amends with the Wizard, who is hunting Elphaba with his army of flying monkeys.

Although the film doesn’t hit theaters until Nov. 21 and has yet to screen for critics or voters, Gold Derby predictors already see it as a contender in major categories, including Best Picture, Best Actress (Erivo), and Best Supporting Actress (Grande), and many of the same below-the-line races as Wicked.

Erivo currently sits in third place in the predictions behind Jessie Buckley (Hamnet) and Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value) and Grande is in third place as well behind Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another) and Elle Fanning (Sentimental Value).

Best Picture

Contender

Odds

1.

One Battle After Another

98.3%

2.

Hamnet

96.5%

3.

Sinners

96.5%

4.

Sentimental Value

95.8%

5.

Marty Supreme

88.9%

6.

Wicked: For Good

88.5%

7.

It Was Just an Accident

75.4%

8.

Bugonia

62.7%

9.

A House of Dynamite

51.7%

10.

Avatar: Fire and Ash

48.5%

Best Actress

Contender

Odds

1.

Jessie Buckley

Hamnet

97.6%

2.

Renate Reinsve

Sentimental Value

95.3%

3.

Cynthia Erivo

Wicked: For Good

80.3%

4.

Emma Stone

Bugonia

72.2%

5.

Rose Byrne

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

53.7%

Best Supporting Actress

Contender

Odds

1.

Teyana Taylor

One Battle After Another

87.9%

2.

Elle Fanning

Sentimental Value

87.4%

3.

Ariana Grande

Wicked: For Good

82.5%

4.

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas

Sentimental Value

63.2%

5.

Gwyneth Paltrow

Marty Supreme

40.8%

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