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Home • Celebrity

EXCLUSIVE: Uzo Aduba and Amber Riley Join NBC's 'The Wiz Live'

Find out which coveted role the two actresses will play in the December production.
Uzo Aduba and Amber Riley Join NBC's 'The Wiz Live'
(l-r) Kevin Mazur/WireImage, Craig Sjodin/ABC via Getty Images
By Taylor Lewis · Updated October 27, 2020

Two more A-listers have been invited to ease on down the road!

Orange is the New Black star Uzo Aduba and Glee actress Amber Riley have been added to the burgeoning cast of NBC’s upcoming live-action remake of The Wiz.

Aduba, a classically trained singer and Broadway actress, will be playing Glinda, the Good Witch of the South. Riley will play opposite Aduba, stepping into the shoes of Addaperle, the Good Witch of the North.

“We look forward to showcasing the amazing musical talents of Amber, and we are eager to introduce Uzo’s remarkable singing voice for those who know her solely as an extraordinary dramatic actress,” Wiz executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron said in a statement.

The two join an already stellar (and growing!) cast. Just yesterday, producers announced that David Alan Grier would be playing the Cowardly Lion and talented newcomer Shanice Williams had been cast as Dorothy. Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige and Wiz veteran Stephanie Mills have already signed on to the project, playing The Wiz, the Evillene the Wicked Witch of the West and Auntie Em, respectively. 

The Wiz LIVE! airs on Thursday, December 3 at 8/9c on NBC.