As we get closer to the release date of Wicked: For Good on Nov. 21, we’re starting to get more clues of what to expect from the part two continuation of Wicked. On Oct. 20, fans got another big one — Colman Domingo voices the Cowardly Lion in the second Wicked installment.
On the official @wicked Instagram account, fans were greeted by a Cowardly Lion Squishmallow. As the Squishmallow was pulled out of frame, fans could see Domingo with multiple lion Squishmallows covering his shoulders. He said a few simple words before fans (including myself) started freaking out: “See you in Oz.”
A week before the announcement, director John M. Chu just teased a major surprise in an interview with Deadline on Oct. 16. He said that a well-known, mystery actor would be voicing the Cowardly Lion. Though Chu gave no clues to reveal who this mystery actor would be, he promised that the cameo will “be wild.” He told Deadline, “Man, wait until the red carpet when the actor who gave us the Cowardly Lion’s voice steps foot on it.” Chu also shared that he actually reached out to the actor himself via Instagram, “I was like, ‘It’s not a ton of lines, but maybe you have a little time. I know you’re busy. I’ll come to you,'” said Chu. “He was like, ‘Why the f**k not, let’s go!’ And then we went ahead and recorded the lines.”
While the main actors in Wicked part one will be reprising their roles, the identities of the new characters have been mostly kept a secret up to this point. The recent trailer released on Sept. 24 only gave us brief glimpses of the Cowardly Lion and Dorothy, along with the Tin Man and Scarecrow.
Unlike the original Cowardly Lion from the 1939 Wizard of Oz, played by Bert Lahr, Wicked: For Good will feature a CGI lion rather than a human actor, making Domingo’s role a voice-only role.
Before Domingo was revealed as the face behind the Cowardly Lion, fans all over social media came up with plenty of theories as to who the surprise actor might’ve been. A popular first guess was Broadway icon Lin-Manuel Miranda, after an old photo of him with the cast of Wicked began circulating around X, but Miranda was quick to shut down the speculation in an Instagram comment.
Other guesses ranged from Morgan Freeman to Hugh Jackman, Jack Black, or James Corden. Some fans were hoping it would be Jim Carrey for the sake of Ariana Grande, who is a lifelong fan and close friend of the actor.
Some fans believed the mystery actor would be Broadway veteran Joel Grey, who performed in Cabaret with Liza Minnelli, Judy Garland’s daughter, speculating that the film might’ve been leaning toward casting traditional Broadway stars.
Domingo’s addition to the Wicked cast has certainly added to the increasing anticipation for the film’s release next month.