The first footage from the eagerly anticipated Wicked film dropped during the Super Bowl and it didn’t disappoint.
The minute-long trailer opens with a train pulling into a station – which is, of course, how all witches and wizards get to their school of choice – and then we see the green-skinned Elphaba, played by Cynthia Erivo, and her first entry into school, along with her first meeting with Glinda (Ariana Grande).
The contrast between the two couldn’t be starker – Elphaba is dressed in black, and the only one with green skin – which elicits numerous gasps from other students – meanwhile Glinda is a vision in pink.
The story, which is based on the 2003 Broadway musical of the same name, delves into the backstory of the witches of Oz, which were seen in the classic film The Wizard of Oz. It follows Elphaba and Glinda on their journeys from unlikely friends at school through to adulthood and finally how they became the Wicked Witch of the West and Good Witch of the North respectively.
Various hints to the plot are featured. For instance, when, in a neat bit of foreshadowing, Elphaba says: “Something just takes over me, and when it does, bad things happen.”
The opulent scenery and spectacular costumes alone will keep viewers held – it is one to be seen on the big screen for sure – but there is plenty of intrigue too. For instance, another teaser in the trailer is the appearance (though only seen from the back) of Dorothy, along with her friends from the Wizard of Oz.
Finally, the trailer climaxes as Elphaba says: “I am not afraid, it is the wizard who should be afraid of me!” before smashing through a window and flying into the distance on her broom.
Wicked Part One is set for released at Thanksgiving in the US – November 27 – and around the world soon after. Part Two is slated for release in late 2025.
