Wicked star cast would have looked a lot more different with Lady Gaga and Shawn Mendes in it.
Stephen Daldry, the director of The Crown, suggested Gaga to depict the character of Elphaba as per the sources close to the project.
It is also speculated by Page Six that he and Bad Romance crooner had met few times to discuss the character.
“They had meetings, the two of them, about the character and who she would be. [Gaga] was essentially cast in his version, and then it fell through,” the source said.
Mendes was rumored to play Fiyero in the film, a role ultimately played by Jonathan Bailey.
Daldry, who was the initial choice to direct the film in 2016, exited the movie in 2020 due to schedule conflicts, as per Variety.
And Gaga decided to opt for ill-fated Joker sequel that missed the spot on box office.
John M. Chu replaced Daldry as film director and casted Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, as well as Ariana Grande as Glenda the Good Witch and Fellow Travelers star Bailey as Fiyero.
The musical adaptation also stars Michelle Yeoh, as well as Grande’s beau Ethan Slater, and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard of Oz.
As for now, Wicked’s star-studded cast is busy attending early premiers of the movie.
Wicked will premiere worldwide on November 21.
