The official 2024 Wicked trailer just dropped, and everyone’s saying the same thing
The dazzling three minute long trailer gives us way more insight into the film – including its A list cast (Universal Pictures)
Universal Pictures has given us all an amazing gift to brighten a dull Wednesday afternoon: the studio has dropped the first, hotly-anticipated full-length trailer for Wicked, the film version of the hit Broadway musical.
In case you’ve never heard of The Wizard of Oz, or Wicked, or have been living under a rock since the original L. Frank Baum children’s novels first came out in 1900: Wicked tells the origin story of witches Elphaba (later known as the Wicked Witch of the West in the Oz books and 1939 film adaptation) and Glinda “The Good”.
The musical has been delighting crowds – and, let’s be honest, lots and lots of gay men – for years. Now, it’s been adapted into a movie, and the newly released trailer is spectacular.
What’s more, everyone is saying the same thing. Namely: that the casting of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, who are playing Elphaba and Glinda respectively, is spot-on.
The trailer begins at Shiz University, as Glinda meets Elphaba for the first time. Grande is heard singing one of the stage show’s most iconic songs, “Popular,” while giving Elphaba a makeover. We get to hear Erivo singing “Defying Gravity,” the show-stopping number that most often comes to mind when thinking about Wicked.
We also get to see Jeff Goldblum, who plays the “great and powerful” Wizard of Oz, and, of course, an iconic scene where Elphaba puts on her trademark black pointy hat for the first time. It’s enough to give you chills.
The 2024 trailer also shows Wicked stars Bowen Yang, Ethan Slater and Peter Dinklage in action.
The film was originally meant to be just one movie, but it’s since been split into two parts.
Speaking about the Wicked casting, Universal chairwoman Donna Langley said that Erivo and Grande are both “powerhouse performers” who were “born to play these roles,” and many people reacting to the trailer on social media seemed to agree.
“My God this second trailer is Beyond incredible!!! But it was this specific part where I knew Cynthia Erivo was meant to play Elphaba!” said one fan, alongside a clip and some screenshots of the “Wicked Witch”.
Another added: “Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo were meant to be Glinda and Elphaba, the way the new Wicked trailer perfectly captures the bond of these characters that are torn apart and brought together because of their differences.”
Another person simply wrote: “The world will see how good Cynthia Erivo is.”
We can’t wait.
Wicked is set to be theatrically released in the United States on November 27, 2024. The sequel, Wicked Part Two, is set to be released on November 27, 2025.
