Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in WickedLast year, Matilda star Alisha Weir found herself at the centre of rumours that she’s going to play a pivotal role in the next Wicked movie.
The 15-year-old generated a lot of conversation when she attended the UK premiere of the first film sporting a pair of silver shoes, and was also pictured embracing cast members Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande at another screening.
Fans quickly began to suspect that the Irish performer could be playing Dorothy in the next instalment of Wicked, which she did little to dispel during a pair of new interviews.
Matilda star Alisha Weir's outfit at the Wicked premiere led to speculation she might appear in the sequel“When I saw it, I was like, ‘this is absolutely crazy’, and it went so crazy on social media, and everybody was asking me,” Alisha told RTÉ News of the Wicked rumours. “I mean, that would be wonderful. I’m such a big fan of Wicked, and I saw the first one with my family.
“I was such a big fan of Jon Chu’s work, and Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. That would be pretty cool.”
@rtenews Dublin actress Alisha Weir responds to rumours she plays Dorothy in Wicked Part 2. #IFTAs#alishaweir#rtenews#wicked#dorothy
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She also told Spin 1038: “The rumours have gone pretty crazy and I’ve seen it everywhere. That would be really, really, really cool. I would love that.
“I’m such a big fan of Wicked and the first part is so incredible.”
Part Two, titled Wicked For Good, has already been filmed, and is slated for release in November.
Director Jon M Chu previously teased that Dorothy will have a bigger role in the movie than she does in the original musical, where she is referred to off-stage but never actually seen.
“I won’t say whether she’s a character, necessarily, in movie two,” he explained. “There’s a part of me that wants everyone’s Dorothy to be the whatever Dorothy they want. And yet, there is interaction and some crossover. So I’ll leave that up to Part Two.”
Dorothy – alongside the Tin Man, Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion – were also seen from behind on the yellow brick road in the first moments of the Wicked film, and were also seen in the Emerald City in a teaser for the second instalment.
A teaser for Wicked For Good revealed we'll see more of Dorothy in the next filmJudy Garland was famously the first person to play Dorothy on screen in the much-loved 1939 film The Wizard Of Oz, with Fairuza Balk revisiting the character in the unofficial sequel Return To Oz.
In the 1978 movie musical The Wiz, Diana Ross played Dorothy, while Always On Time singer Ashanti put a new spin on the character in the oft-forgotten TV special The Muppets’ Wizard Of Oz.
