Ariana Grande Nearly Co-Starred With Nicole Kidman in a 2020 Musical Comedy—The Real Reason It Fell Through
Netflix bet big on the star-studded musical The Prom in 2020 — and audiences promptly forgot it. Now, five years later, the Ariana Grande role that never happened is back under the spotlight, reviving the biggest what-if of a film that never hit its high note.
Netflix rolled out The Prom in 2020 with a cast that reads like an awards-show seating chart and Ryan Murphy calling the shots. And yet, the movie basically slipped out of the conversation almost as fast as it arrived. Big names, big budget, small footprint. Part of that comes down to timing, part of it to a high-profile casting that evaporated the moment it hit the trades.
The Ariana Grande plot twist that never happened
Here is the quick version: Ariana Grande was lined up to play a key role in The Prom, the closeted girlfriend of the main character, Emma. Deadline broke the casting, and on that very same day Billboard said she would not be in the movie after all. Classic industry whiplash.
The reason was not dramatic, just scheduling. Grande extended her Sweetener tour through the end of 2019, which clashed directly with the shoot. She stepped away to finish the tour, and the part went to Ariana DeBose. Grande had also been set to help produce the film’s soundtrack, but that work ultimately fell to Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin.
So what is The Prom?
Ryan Murphy directed the Netflix adaptation of the Broadway musical. You know Murphy from creating Glee and American Horror Story, and directing Eat Pray Love and The Normal Heart. The guy has a reputation for assembling star-powered ensembles.
"the most powerful man in TV"
The New Yorker said that about Murphy once, and The Prom looks exactly like the kind of package someone with that label would build.
The story follows a troupe of self-absorbed Broadway actors who descend on a conservative Indiana town to boost their image by backing a high school girl who wants to take her girlfriend to prom. The plan is loud, messy, and very showbiz.
The cast, top to bottom
- Meryl Streep as Dee Dee Allen
- James Corden as Barry Glickman
- Nicole Kidman as Angie Dickinson
- Keegan-Michael Key as Tom Hawkins
- Andrew Rannells as Trent Oliver
- Jo Ellen Pellman as Emma Nolan
- Ariana DeBose as Alyssa Greene
- Kerry Washington as Mrs. Greene
- Tracey Ullman as Vera Glickman
- Kevin Chamberlin as Sheldon Saperstein
- Mary Kay Place as Grandma Bea
Why it did not stick
Timing did it no favors. Dropping in the middle of a chaotic pandemic year meant attention was scattered, and losing a marquee headliner like Grande before cameras rolled took some wind out of the sails. Even with a stacked cast and Murphy’s glossy touch, the movie just did not leave a lasting mark. Honestly, if you took the names off the poster, it would be one more tile you scroll past on Netflix.
Where to watch
The Prom is streaming on Netflix.