"And now whatever way our stories end, I know you have rewritten mine by being my friend…"
Universal Pictures has released the first trailer for Wicked: For Good, which will serve as both the second part of a prequel to The Wizard of Oz and a retelling of the classic tale.
Part 1 was a big hit with fans and critics alike, and took in an impressive $744.07 million worldwide. This may not sound like too much when you consider that some blockbusters are still clearing a billion, but it was enough to make the movie the highest-grossing film adaptation of a Broadway musical.
The trailer finds friends turned adversaries Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande) - now known as the "Wicked Witch of the West" and the "Good Witch of the East" - reuniting after spending years on opposing sides. Will their reforged alliance last as the "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" enlists some unwitting allies to help put his plan in motion?
After giving us a (very) quick glimpse of the heroes of The Wizard of Oz following the Yellow Brick Road in the first movie, we get a much better look at Scarecrow, Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion and Dorothy (and her little dog, too!) here, although most of the characters' faces remain obscured.
Matilda the Musical and Abigail star Alisha Weir is rumored to have been cast as Dorothy, but this has yet to be confirmed.
“That intersection is the place that we were first introduced into Oz,” director Jon M. Chu said of how Dorothy and co. will be utilized during an interview with Vanity Fair. “We tread lightly, but try to make more sense of how it impacts our girls and our characters than maybe the show does. We’re delicate. We’re delicate. We’re delicate.”
Check out the trailer below, along with a detailed synopsis.
Last year’s global cinematic cultural sensation, which became the most successful Broadway film adaptation of all time, now reaches its epic, electrifying, emotional conclusion in Wicked: For Good.
Directed once again by award-winning director Jon M. Chu and starring the spectacular returning cast, led by Academy Award nominated superstars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, the final chapter of the untold story of the witches of Oz begins with Elphaba and Glinda estranged and living with the consequences of their choices. Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), now demonized as The Wicked Witch of the West, lives in exile, hidden within the Ozian forest while continuing her fight for the freedom of Oz’s silenced Animals and desperately trying to expose the truth she knows about The Wizard (Jeff Goldblum). Glinda, meanwhile, has become the glamorous symbol of Goodness for all of Oz, living at the palace in Emerald City and reveling in the perks of fame and popularity.
Under the instruction of Madame Morrible (Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh), Glinda is deployed to serve as an effervescent comfort to Oz, reassuring the masses that all is well under the rule of The Wizard. As Glinda’s stardom expands and she prepares to marry Prince Fiyero (Olivier award winner and Emmy and SAG nominee Jonathan Bailey) in a spectacular Ozian wedding, she is haunted by her separation from Elphaba. She attempts to broker a conciliation between Elphaba and The Wizard, but those efforts will fail, driving Elphaba and Glinda only further apart. The aftershocks will transform Boq (Tony nominee Ethan Slater) and Fiyero forever, and threaten the safety of Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose (Marissa Bode), when a girl from Kansas comes crashing into all their lives.
As an angry mob rises against the Wicked Witch, Glinda and Elphaba will need to come together one final time. With their singular friendship now the fulcrum of their futures, they will need to truly see each other, with honesty and empathy, if they are to change themselves, and all of Oz, for good.