Ariana Grande, center, and Cynthia Erivo, right, cast members in the upcoming film"Wicked," introduce a trailer for the film during the Universal Pictures and Focus Features presentation at CinemaCon 2024, Wednesday, April 10, 2024, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. “Are people born wicked?” It certainly seems like Glinda – as played by Ariana Grande – might be in the latest trailer for the movie spectacle based on the Broadway musical .
Later on in the trailer, Elphaba’s notably strong powers are exposed, much to Glinda’s chagrin, leading headmistress Madame Morrible to take notice and tell Elphaba, “you’re the one the Wizard has been waiting for.” “The best way to bring folks together is to give them a real good enemy,” the Wizard says, in a nod to some of the more political tones that suggest director Jon M. Chu’s cinematic retelling of a notoriously digestible Broadway musical will, perhaps, not shy away from highlighting the darker themes explored in the book..
As the “Wicked” story goes, Glinda eventually does establish a sisterly bond with Elphaba, and that becomes clear in the trailer. But it’s Elphaba’s character arc that is the most compelling when Erivo’s chilling rendition of “Defying Gravity” rings out at the end of the preview. As Elphaba takes flight on her broomstick, she says, “I’m not afraid.”The hotly anticipated two-part “Wicked” movie is a cinematic adaptation of the famed Broadway musical, which is a prequel to “The Wizard of Oz.