Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo bedazzle audience at CinemaCon for the first look at ‘Wicked’
Broadway babies are shaking as CinemaCon, the annual convention of movie theater owners in Las Vegas, featured the first-ever footage of Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda in Wicked.
The enchanting footage was accompanied by the sounds of classic Broadway tunes like our all-time favorites Defying Gravity and Popular. Erivo and Grande weren’t on hand to perform.
Michelle Yeoh’s Madame Morrible begins to teach Elphaba how to control her gift as she talks to her. “Once you learn to harness your emotions, it is the sky that is the limit,” Morrible tells Elphaba.
This featurette gives a sense of the sweeping, brightly lit set and shows Elphaba roaming Shiz University before meeting Glinda, who presents the iconic black hat to her new roommate.
The trailer also features Jeff Goldblum as the wonderful Wizard of Oz, Glinda transporting herself by bubble, and Elphaba with her trademark broomstick. A memorable aspect of Wicked is its portrayal of sisterhood; the Backstory of the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch explain the friendship that became enmity.
Stephen Schwartz, who wrote the music and lyrics to the Broadway show, is adapting the screenplay with Winnie Holzman, who directed Lin Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights in 2021.
Chu says in video footage that played in between clips of the movie, “Wicked is about change, and it’s necessary for things to get better.” In addition, he promises that Grande will “leave you breathless” and Erivo will “break your heart.”
Wicked, one of Broadway’s most popular shows, is the prequel to Wizard of Oz. It tells the story of what happened before Dorothy went down that iconic yellow brick road. It was even possible to see those ruby-red slippers and that notoriously lethal bucket of water in Wednesday’s footage.
Donna Langley, Universal’s chairman, calls the movie a “true cinematic spectacle,” saying, “Wicked is a proud part of our legacy.” Despite the crowd’s warm reaction to the clips, she stressed that the footage wasn’t complete before presenting it at Caesars Palace.
She also praised Grande and Erivo’s casting, saying they were born to play these characters. “They are brilliant, and they are matched with an equally brilliant supporting cast,” she added.
The first installment of Wicked is set to debut on Nov. 27, 2024, followed by a second installment on Dec. 25, 2025.
