Follow the yellow brick road to the conclusion of Elphaba’s story.
A lucky few got the chance to get a glimpse of that journey in the first trailer for Wicked: For Good at Universal’s CinemaCon presentation on Wednesday evening. Stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were on hand to introduce the footage, alongside director Jon M. Chu and producer Marc Platt.
Erivo joked about the duo’s waterworks throughout last fall’s press tour for Wicked, noting that she forgives anyone who gave them a hard time about all the crying. Teasing the sequel, which hits theaters on Nov. 21, Erivo said, “I love Elphaba. I love Glinda and Fiyero,” to which Grande replied,”You could love him a little less, just saying.”
“No matter what they go through they know they have been changed for good,” the duo said in unison before the footage rolled.
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The trailer focuses on the bond between Elphaba (Erivo) and Glinda (Grande), despite the fact that they are now on opposite sides. It opens on Glinda greeting Elphaba outside her balcony, urging her to leave before the flying monkeys spot her. “There’s no going back,” says Elphaba. “This is between the Wizard and I.”
The footage also showcased the love triangle between Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), Glinda, and Elphaba, including shots of Fiyero seemingly hunting for Elphaba and pointing a gun at the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum). Glinda seems to be completing her plan to marry Fiyero with a shot of her walking down the aisle in a wedding dress.
Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in ‘Wicked’. Universal Pictures
There is also a further glimpse of Dorothy and her pals from the original The Wizard of Oz, both on the yellow brick road and visiting the Wizard as he tells them to bring them the witch’s broom. All of these shots remain from the back, still keeping the actress playing Dorothy’s identity concealed. However, it’s Elphaba who declares, catching her hat and broom, that she’s off to see the Wizard.
Fans hoping for a first listen to Stephen Schwartz’s two new songs for the film didn’t have their wishes answered, but the footage did include audio of Grande singing “For Good,” the duet that gives the film its title, as well as a bit of Erivo’s interpretation of “No Good Deed.”
The trailer showcases much of the hysteria over Elphaba and her villainization, including Madam Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) continuing to decry her publicly and shots of villagers with pitchforks. But it also emphasizes the two women’s bond. “You’re the only friend I ever had,” Elphaba tells Glinda with tears in her eyes, embracing her. “The only one that mattered,” Glinda replies.
No further information, including when the trailer might be shared with the public, was given — so we’ll all have to wait a little longer to be changed for good.
