Georgia Entertainment Scene
Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige tapped to star in Kenny Leon's 'The Wiz'
Say hello to the Wicked Witch of the West. (Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)
By Melissa Ruggieri
July 28, 2015BY MELISSA RUGGIERI
Kenny Leon’s live TV version of “The Wiz” just got a giant sass injection.
According to EW.com
, Queen Latifah has been tapped to play the title character in “The Wiz Live!”, while Mary J. Blige will portray Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West – aka, The One With the Winged Monkeys.
“I can’t wait to watch Mary bring the badness that is Evillene,” said Atlanta’s Tony-winning director, Leon. “Her talent range is off the charts and I know audiences won’t be able to take their eyes off her.”
A previous casting announcement unveiled Stephanie Mills – who played Dorothy in the original Broadway production of “The Wiz” – as Auntie Em in this NBC version, which will air Dec. 3.
No word yet on who will portray Dorothy, but more casting news is expected in the next few weeks.
About the Author
Melissa Ruggieri has covered music and entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 2010 and created the Atlanta Music Scene blog. She's kept vampire hours for more than two decades and remembers when MTV was awesome.
