We have our first trailer for the film adaptation of the Wicked musical, and as predicted, the internet has lost its marbles.
The first teaser trailer for Wicked: Part One aired on Super Bowl Sunday, featuring Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda.
The cinematic version of Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman’s award-winning Broadway play, directed by Jon M. Chu, will be released in two parts: one on Thanksgiving and the second on November 26, 2025.
A sneak peek of Part One has already sparked an internet craze, with the production proving to be nothing short of remarkable.
Ariana Grande appears ethereal as Glinda, wearing a sequence of stunning pastel ensembles.
In sharp contrast, Cynthia, who has green complexion, really immerses herself in the part of Elphaba, even previewing her version of Defying Gravity as the trailer finishes on the world-famous high note.
Wicked. See it on the big screen this Thanksgiving. 💚💖 pic.twitter.com/JCRr6z6HAv
— Wicked Movie (@wickedmovie) February 11, 2024
‘Don’t be afraid,’ Ariana’s character reassures Elphaba in the clip.
‘I’m not afraid, it’s the Wizard who should be afraid of me,’ the London-born star replied.
Dorothy, who has never been in the Broadway production, is also in the clip, which may surprise theatre aficionados.
Fans have already predicted significant things based on the clip, like Ariana’s EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) status.
‘The next best supporting actress Oscar winner goes to Ariana Grande for Wicked’, predicted X user FdezzGarciiia.
‘ariana grande and cynthia erivo are coming for their first oscar win’s next year for “wicked”, mark my words’, wrote attentionforari.
‘Can’t Believe Ariana is gonna win an Oscar for Wicked and AOTY for Eternal Sunshine in the same year can you say legendary’, said CAdreamboy.
The Wicked cast, including Ariana and Cynthia, is very outstanding.
The cast includes Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Jeff Goldblum as Wizard, Marissa Bode as Nessarose, Bowen Yang as Pfannee, Keala Settle as Miss Coddle, and Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible.
Ethan Slater plays Boq, who had a contentious liaison with co-star Ariana while filming.
Teasing fans previously about the project, its director said at CinemaCon 2023 in April: ‘This movie has everything: giant musical numbers, big action pieces, and using a classic story you all know, The Wizard of Oz.’
‘At the end of the day, it’s actually not about those things,’ he added.
‘It’s about change and [how] it’s necessary for things to get better.’
Wicked is a prequel to The Wizard of Oz that depicts the narrative of Elphaba’s transformation into the Wicked Witch of the West.
The original production premiered on Broadway in 2003, featuring Idina Menzel as Elphaba and Kristen Chenoweth as Glinda.
Wicked has remained a solid favourite among musical aficionados since its premiere, making well over $1 billion.
The film adaptation has been in the works for years, but has met problems such as director Stephen Daldry’s departure.
When asked what the part meant to her while shooting, Grammy winner Ariana said she was ‘savouring every instant’ of the experience.
She also praises her character Glinda for showing her ‘so many new things every day.’
The Yes, And? hitmaker added that she was struggling for words due to being ‘so grateful’, hailing co-star Cynthia her ‘brilliant twin flame’ and ‘sister’.
As for the decision to split the movie into two parts, the director previously explained: ‘Here’s what happened: As we prepared the production over the last year, it became impossible to wrestle the story of Wicked into a single film without doing some real damage to it.’
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He added in his statement: ‘As we tried to cut songs or trim characters, those decisions began to feel like fatal compromises to the source material that has entertained us all for so many years.
‘We decided to give ourselves a bigger canvas and make not just one Wicked movie but two! With more space, we can tell the story of Wicked as it was meant to be told while bringing even more depth and surprise to the journeys for these beloved characters.’
Wicked Part One arrives in cinemas on November 27.
