Cynthia Erivo to Narrate Gregory Maguire's WICKED Audiobook

Fans of Gregory Maguire's Wicked novel will soon have the chance to enjoy the prose in a whole new way. According to Variety, Tony Award-winner and star of the Wicked film Cynthia Erivo is set to narrate a new audiobook edition of the 1995 novel. Erivo plays the character of Elphaba in the two-part movie adaptation of the musical, the first of which earned her an Academy Award nomination for her performance. 

The new audiobook will be released on July 1, 2025, and will be available on Audible, Apple Books, and Google Play. In a statement, Erivo said, “I’m incredibly excited to narrate ‘Wicked,’ especially after having had the privilege of portraying Elphaba on screen. I feel deeply connected to Elphaba. We have been on quite the journey together, and now I’m eager to begin an adventure with her whilst exploring the full world of ‘Wicked’ and its myriad of other characters in the audiobook. I’m looking forward to bringing this incredible story to life in a new way for listeners, and I hope it resonates as deeply with them as I know it will with me.”

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West was first published in 1995 and was made into a global phenomenon of a musical in 2003. Maguire followed up the novel with several sequels, including Son of a Witch, A Lion Among Men, and Out of Oz. Last December, during the film's theatrical run, the novel reached #1 on The New York Times Best Seller list for the week of December 15, a prestigious honor for a book title. A new prequel novel, titled Elphie, was released in March.

Part 1 of the Wicked movie received 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande nominated for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively. The film won 2 awards at the ceremony: Best Costume Design and Best Production Design.

The movie stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Ariana Grande as Glinda, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Ethan Slater as Boq, and Marissa Bode as Nessarose. The first part was released on November 22, 2024, with Wicked: For Good hitting theaters on November 21, 2025. Wicked: Part One is now available to watch at home and is streaming on Peacock.