WICKED star Cynthia Erivo has conjured up a religious storm by being cast as Jesus.
The Londoner — up for the Best Actress Oscar for playing green witch Elphaba in the hit Oz movie — will be the lead in Jesus Christ Superstar.
The Andrew Lloyd Webber rock-opera is set to be performed at the Hollywood Bowl in California in August.
But casting a woman as Jesus has caused fury among many, who say the move is woke and lacks respect.
Angry online comments included: “Absolutely blasphemy.
“You’re mocking Christ the King,” and “This is just plain disrespectful.”
One outraged person wrote: “Please stop with this nonsense of doing EVERYTHING inclusive or woke!
“Have some respect. This is just mockery.”
Cynthia, 38, shared the news on social media, saying: “Just a little busy this Summer. Can’t wait.”
Her fans are behind her, with one posting online: “That’s going to be a powerhouse performance!”
Another said: “JCS has pushed boundaries since inception. That’s the point.”
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Wicked fans furious after Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s Mattel doll promos leak crucial movie plot” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6359759480112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme – Sun Club.