Queen Latifah and Mary J. Blige will star in NBC's live production of The Wiz

Queen Latifah, 45, will star as the wizard, taking on the role played by Richard Pryor in the 1978 film version.
Of the gender-blind casting, executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron gushed: 'To see [Queen Latifah] play the iconic role of the Wiz and make it her own is going to be one of the joys of producing this event.'

Meanwhile, Mary, 44, will take on the role of Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West, in the production.