The first trailer for the forthcoming Wicked movie starring pop superstar Ariana Grande has been released.
The long-awaited big screen version of the hit musical was the first confirmed movie to be made at the new state-of-the-art Sky Studios Elstree complex in Hertfordshire.
Set for release in the UK in November, the teaser for the first instalment of the two-part Wicked adaptation aired during the National Football League (NFL) Super Bowl LVIII championship game.
The untold story of the witches of Oz, Wicked stars Emmy, Grammy and Tony winning powerhouse Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, a young woman, misunderstood because of her unusual green skin, who has yet to discover her true power.
The Universal Pictures' movie also stars Grammy-winning, multi-platinum recording artist Ariana Grande as Glinda, a popular young woman, gilded by privilege and ambition, who has yet to discover her true heart.
Based on the bestselling novel by Gregory Maguire, which inspired the Broadway and West End hit, it tells the story of Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West.
“Don’t be afraid,” Grande’s character Glinda, the future Good Witch of the North, says to the green-skinned Elphaba (Erivo) in the first look teaser video.
“I’m not afraid, it’s the Wizard who should be afraid of me,” replies Erivo's character.
The two meet as students at Shiz University in the fantastical Land of Oz and forge an unlikely but profound friendship.
Following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Elphaba and Glinda's friendship reaches a crossroads and their lives take very different paths.
Elphaba says in the trailer: "Something just takes over me. And when it does, bad things happen."
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Featuring the show’s signature anthem, Defying Gravity, the film also stars Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh as Shiz University’s regal headmistress Madame Morrible and Bridgerton's Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, a roguish and carefree prince.
Jeff Goldblum plays the legendary Wizard of Oz.
The cast of characters also includes Pfannee and ShenShen, two conniving compatriots of Glinda played by Emmy nominee Bowen Yang and Bronwyn James, and a new character created for the film, Miss Coddle, played by Tony nominee Keala Settle from The Greatest Showman.
The first look trailer for Wicked also includes a glimpse of Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Lion and the Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz.
As well as taking up residence and shooting scenes on the new sound stages at Sky Studio Elstree in Borehamwood, filming also took place on a huge outdoor set in the village of Ivinghoe, Buckinghamshire — complete with a yellow brick road.
Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Jon M. Chu, of Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights fame, Wicked is the first chapter of a two-part adaptation of the hit musical.
Wicked: Part Two is scheduled to arrive in cinemas in November 2025.
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