Queen Latifah and Mary J. Blige Join the Cast of ‘The Wiz Live!’

All the way back in 1988, Tommy Boy issued a single called "Wrath of My Madness" by a young rapper named Queen Latifah. The song launched a career that would be so long and multifaceted that there are young women and men who probably recognize the Newark native first and foremost from her Cover Girl campaigns. In any event, the actor, rapper, singer, songwriter, model, comedian and more has touched on nearly every corner of the music and entertainment industries, and she doesn't seem to be going away. EW reports that Latifah has singed on to star in the titular role for NBC's production of The Wiz Live! After successful goes at The Sound of Music and Peter Pan, the network aims to bring to life the realm of Oz, complete with Stephanie Mills, who once starred as Dorothy in the Broadway production of the show. The show will air December 3.

And that's not all. Latifah will be joined on the cast by Mary J. Blige, who's set to star as the Wicked Witch of the West. Unlike Latifah, Blige's career has continued to be most notable in the musical realm. Her first album, What's the 411?, was a hit upon its release in 1992, and she received considerable acclaim last year when, more than 20 years later, she dropped her 12th solo album, The London Sessions, to critical acclaim. According to NBC sources, the network is still searching to fill the roll of the Dorothy.