The name of the Wicked Witch, Elphaba, was created by taking the phonetic pronunciation of the original "Wizard of Oz" author L. Frank Baum's initials, L-F-B, which became Elphaba.
It has been reported many times that Idina Menzel wanted to portray Elphaba in this version, but she eventually revealed that she thought she was too old for the role. During an interview with Andy Cohen she said she would happily have a smaller cameo such as Melena, the wicked witch's mother.
Amanda Seyfried was actively pursuing the role of Glinda before Ariana Grande was cast. Seyfried stated in past interviews that she took voice lessons to prepare for her audition. While she was shooting The Dropout (2022), she went back and forth, and auditioned in person several times on the weekends to play Glinda.
Prior to their casting, both Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande previously performed in concert events for "Wicked," with Grande performing a song typically sung by Elphaba during A Very Wicked Halloween: Celebrating 15 Years on Broadway (2018), and Erivo performing a song typically sung by Galinda.
Stephen Daldry was originally set to direct the film, but as production was delayed because of COVID-19, Daldry left the project due to scheduling conflicts, including a lack of available studio space in London, where he had planned to film.