Film

Wicked: For Good releases behind-the-scenes look and Gelphie fans are losing their sapphic minds

Aug 07
Written by Sophie Perry

Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda in Wicked. (Universal Pictures)

A behind-the-scenes look at Wicked: For Good has been released and Gelphie shippers are dissecting it in depth for all things WLW (Witches Loving Witches).

The film, which releases on 21 November, is the second part of a two-film adaption of the iconic Broadway musical of the same name and a direct follow-up to 2024’s wildly successful Wicked.

Starring Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Ariana Grande as Glinda and Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Wicked: For Good covers the second half of the musical’s story, with director Jon M. Chu promising it will be an “epic conclusion” and “gets to the guts of what Wicked is all about”.

The behind-the-scenes featurette comes after some initial teasers, a the full-length trailer and the promise of some slight tweaks to the plot and was released alongside new character posters for Erivo’s Elphaba and Grande’s Glinda – which have been criticised for seemingly using AI.

“In Wicked: For Good, they’re both stepping into this new space in their lives and I think that actually makes them all the more powerful,” Erivo says of Elphaba and Glinda in the video, noting they realise what they had in the first film “can never come back again” and the pair “have to move into is something very different”.

“I believe their bond is unbreakable, but it is deeply challenged by the distance that they have to navigate,” the star added.

Grande says that “much has changed” in the world of Wicked and the characters relationship in the film, adding: “We really just get to see how far we can push this friendship. There’s nuance, there’s hurt, there’s forgiveness.”

Chu described the sequel as more “mature” and “emotional” than its predecessor.

“It’s really about them trying to get back together in some way, even if the fates don’t allow that,” the director said of Elphaba and Glinda.

Romance-hungry Gelphie shippers were quick to note many moments in the behind-the-scenes video that had not been seen before, including multiple hugs, longing looks and emotional moments between Elphaba and Glinda, which they are sure is further confirmation that their relationship is more than friendly.

“Glinda and Elphaba “trying to get back together…even if the fates don’t allow” is ultimate doomed yuri 😭,” one user commented on Instagram.

“Im sorry WHAT is that rainbow lighting 😭😭😭,” another queried.

“let them be happy please 💔,” another user begged into the social media void.