'Wicked: For Good' Casts 'The Color Purple' Star Colman Domingo as Cowardly Lion Voice Actor
The film is scheduled for release in theaters on Nov. 21, 2025.
Published Oct. 20 2025, 3:01 p.m. ET
Fans of The Color Purple star Colman Domingo are in for a treat this holiday season. The actor has been cast as the voice of the Cowardly Lion in Wicked: For Good, according to Variety.
The announcement was shared on Instagram on Oct. 20, 2025, by the actor and the Wicked: For Good Instagram page. The post featured the Euphoria star with a video of Coleman surrounded by several stuffed lion animals.
'Wicked: For Good' casts actor Colman Domingo as the voice of the Cowardly Lion.
The question of who would be cast as the voice of the Cowardly Lion in Wicked: For Good has been a question for Wicked fans for some time, and the film's Instagram page and Colman just shared the video with the news.
The post was simply captioned with a lion emoji. The video includes the actor surrounded by stuffed lions, and his face is hidden at first. As the camera zooms in, Colman removes the stuffed lion that is hiding his face and says, "See you in Oz," before giving a wink to the audience.
Text in the video also says, "COLMAN DOMINGO IS THE COWARDLY LION. WICKED FOR GOOD. NOVEMBER 21. GET TICKETS NOW."
Fans were thrilled by the news and responded in the comment section underneath the video. Many fans have been speculating on Threads that the former host of The Late Late Show, James Corden, would be cast as the voice of the Cowardly Lion, and a fan referenced the comedian after the announcement.
"Ok, it’s confirmed the lion is not James Corden or Lin. Now y’all can sleep," wrote the fan. Another exclaimed, "I'M LITERALLY CRYING. I LOVE COLMAN SO MUCH. THIS JUST MADE ME EVEN MORE EXCITED, AND I THOUGHT I WAS ALREADY AS EXCITED AS I COULD BEEEE."
"I'm so excited. Colman, I love you," added another. "It’s gonna be even better than the stage production. I can tell," noted one.
"Listennnnnnn!!!! And I can’t waitttttt to see what he wears on the red carpet," replied another excited fan.
The film's director, Jon M. Chu, teased audiences recently about who would play the Cowardly Lion, but he added that Wicked fans would be excited after learning who was cast in the role. The reveal was originally going to happen on the red carpet.
"Man, wait until the red carpet when the actor who gave us the Cowardly Lion’s voice steps foot on it. It’ll be wild,” said Chu.
Wicked: For Good is the sequel to the 2024 musical, Wicked, starring Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba Thropp and singer Ariana Grande as Glinda Upland. Both actors will return for the sequel, as will Jurassic Park actor Jeff Goldblum as the Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Academy Award-winning actor Michelle Yeoh will also return as Madame Morrible, and Marissa Bode as Nessarose Thropp is also in the sequel. Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, and Bronwyn James will also be featured in Wicked: For Good.