CNN
—
Universal Pictures on Wednesday unveiled the trailer for the sequel to the 2024 hit “Wicked,” based on the Tony-winning Broadway musical.
The promo clip for the new film, which is titled “Wicked: For Good,” seemingly picks up just where last year’s first installment left off, with Glinda (Ariana Grande) in a tower high up in the Emerald City at night, beckoning for her schoolmate, friend and de facto rival Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) to make herself known.
From there, viewers are treated to fleeting glimpses of Elphaba working her magic, Glinda adorning herself with a glittering crown and a peek at some menacing flying monkeys.
The stakes were set by the end of the first film, with Elphaba now branded as “The Wicked Witch” by both Madame Morribe (Michelle Yeoh) and the Wizard of Oz himself (Jeff Goldblum), who are both seen in pursuit of her in the new trailer. Also back for the new film is Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), now a prince, who Morrible also recruits to rein in Elphaba.
Seemingly through it all, the unflappable bond between Glinda and Elphaba remains, with the two singer-actresses belting out refrains from the Broadway show’s second act and the song from which the sequel gets its title.
Other curious snippets in the trailer for the new film feature callbacks to the 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz,” to which “Wicked” serves as a preamble, including the Yellow Brick Road and even Dorothy, Toto and the Cowardly Lion. At the end of the trailer, Elphaba says, “I’m off to see the wizard.”
Last year’s “Wicked” became the highest-grossing film based on a Broadway musical, and it earned 10 Oscar nominations, including best picture and acting nods for both Grande and Erivo. It won two statues – one for best achievement in production design and one for costume design.
“Wicked: For Good” will soar into theaters on November 21.
