After director Jon Chu teased that a huge star would be voicing the Cowardly Lion in the upcoming Wicked film, it has been announced that Colman Domingo will step into the role.

In a recent interview with Deadline, Chu said his casting choice for the character was “wild”.

He told the publication: “Man, wait until the red carpet when the actor who gave us the Cowardly Lion’s voice steps foot on it.”

The official Wicked Instagram page subsequently made the casting announcement. In a video, a collection of plush lion toys make way to reveal Colman Domingo lying down. The on-screen caption reads: “Colman Domingo is the Cowardly Lion”.

In L. Frank Baum’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and the 1939 film adaption, the Cowardly Lion joins Dorothy, the Scarecrow and the Tin Man as they follow the yellow-brick road on their quest to meet the Wizard. While the Scarecrow is seeking a brain and the Tin Man a heart, the Lion hopes the Wizard will be able to grant him the gift of courage.

In Jeremy Maguire’s re-imagination of The Wizard of Oz – Wicked, and its subsequent Broadway musical adaption, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Lion reappear, as the musical delves into the goings-on in Oz before the arrival of Dorothy.

Last year, the first instalment of the Wicked film adaption landed in cinemas worldwide, introducing audiences to Elphaba and Glinda, before they became the Wicked Witch of the West and the Good Witch of the North, respectively.

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Arivo are set to reprise their roles as Glinda and Elphaba, and they’ll be joined by a star-studded cast, including Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum and, of course, Colman Domingo as the Cowardly Lion.

Wicked: For Good lands in Irish cinemas on November 21.