Cynthia Erivo criticizes the “offensive” fan edit of the Wicked poster

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Cynthia Erivo has attacked fans who digitally altered her image in the poster for the movie musical EvilHe said, “It humiliates me.”

The official poster for the upcoming film was released last week and shows Erivo in the role of Elphaba, looking directly into the camera. Glinda, played by Ariana Grande, whispers something in her ear.

The image is very similar to the illustration used to promote the original Broadway musical, although fans were quick to point out certain key differences. In the illustration, Elphaba's eyes are covered by the brim of her hat and her lips are a light shade of red and are arranged in a grin.

The Instagram account @wickedmexicofans was one of many fan accounts that posted an edited version of the film poster that more closely resembled the illustration.

This drew the ire of Erivo, who posted the image on her own Instagram Stories along with the following statement: “This is the wildest and most offensive thing I have ever seen, just like this horrible AI of us fighting , just like the people asking the question.” “Is your ass green.”

“None of this is funny. None of it is sweet. It humiliates me. It demeans us.

“The original poster is an ILLUSTRATION. I am a real human being who has chosen to look directly through the camera at you, the viewer… because without words, we communicate with our eyes.

“Our poster is a homage, not an imitation. To edit my face and hide my eyes is to erase me. And that’s just deeply hurtful.”

Erivo then posted an image of the unaltered film poster with the caption: “Let me put this here to remind you and cleanse your palate.”

Evil is due to hit UK and US cinemas on November 22nd. A second part is expected to follow next year, although there has been speculation online that the film may have been recut into a single film.

Fans noticed that there seemed to be some hesitation in the positioning Evil This is the first part of a two-part series, as the promotional materials do not say “part one” anywhere.

Additionally, those who know the Broadway musical well claim that the film's trailer features scenes that take place later in the show, leading to speculation that it will just be a movie. Because of this, some fans are wondering if Universal has scrapped its plans to split the film into two parts.