Ethan Slater boards Wicked movie as Boq

Ethan Slater has joined the 'Wicked' movie as Boq.

The Tony-nominated star - who is best known for his role as SpongeBob SquarePants in the musical of the same name - has been cast as the love interest of Elphaba's younger sister, Nessarose, however, he actually has his heart set on impressing Glinda.

Director Jon M. Chu made the casting announcement as production began on Wednesday (07.12.22).

The filmmaker posted on his Instagram Story: "Welcoming our Boq to Shiz University! @ethanslater it is an honor to have you attending. I've been a big fan of yours for a long time, and I can't wait for the world to see you bringing Boq to life! (sic)"

The two-part big-screen adaptation stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Ariana Grande as Glinda and Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero.

It was recently reported that Jeff Goldblum is to play The Wizard in the pair of 'Wicked' films.

US-born superstar Ariana is said to have rented a "stunning" eight-figure mansion in London to live in while she works on the project.

Chu decided to make the movie into two parts because it would be "impossible" to put the complex story into a single film.

He said: "Thank you for all the support these past several months in anticipation of the 'WICKED' movie. Here’s what happened: as we prepared this production over the last year, it became increasingly clear that it would be impossible to wrestle the story of 'WICKED' into a single film without doing some real damage to it. With more space, we can tell the story of WICKED as it was meant to be told while bringing even more depth and surprise to the journeys of these beloved characters."

'Wicked: Part One' is set to be released in December 2024, with the second following in 2025.