Cynthia Erivo's WICKED Audiobook Recording Cancelled After Multiple Delays

Fans of Gregory Maguire's Wicked novel won't be hearing Cynthia Erivo's audiobook recording anytime soon. Erivo, who played Elphaba in the recent two-part movie adaptation, was set to record a new audiobook version of the book, but now it seems that it won't be released after all.

Originally announced in April of 2025, the audiobook, hailing from RB Media/Recorded Books, would have arrived that July during the interim between the releases of Wicked and Wicked: For Good. This week, Audible users who pre-ordered the title have shared emails from the audiobook company on Facebook and Reddit that confirm its cancellation. 

No official reason was given, and it is unclear if Erivo ever recorded the audiobook, but this news follows several delays for the recording. It was already bumped from its original release date of July 1, 2025, to September 9, 2025, and was most recently scheduled to arrive on April 28, 2026. Moreover, the original links to listings on Amazon and Audible are now dead ends. However, a 2025 recording of Maguire's prequel book, Elphie, narrated by Erivo, is available here.

At the time of its announcement, Erivo released a statement, saying, “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.”

Cynthia Erivo is currently starring in a solo production of DRACULA, now playing in London's West End. In this new adaptation from director Kip Williams, Erivo plays all twenty-three characters in the Bram Stoker tale. The production is running at the Noël Coward Theatre, a Delfont Mackintosh Theatre, for 16 weeks until Saturday 30 May 2026. 

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. In December 2024, 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. 

Erivo drew acclaim for her performance as Elphaba in the films, receiving a series of major award nominations, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, a Golden Globe nomination, a BAFTA nomination, and recognition from the Screen Actors Guild Awards and Critics’ Choice Awards. 

Featuring Erivo as Elphaba, both Wicked films are directed by Jon M. Chu and also star 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 two-part Wicked film was based on the world-renowned musical with music & lyrics by Stephen Schwartz.