Broadway fans rejoice! The first official look at Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in full ‘Wizard of Oz’ garb has just been revealed in the recently released sneak peek of Jon M. Chu’s Wicked.
The first-ever trailer to the highly anticipated film adaptation was released during the 2024 Super Bowl, with the one minute sneak preview showcasing both Grande and Erivo perfectly embodying the characters of Glinda and Elphaba respectively, while also showcasing the beauty of the city of Oz, and appearances from fellow characters like Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Jonathan Bailey as Prince Fiyero, and a quick glimpse at Dorothy and the rest of the gang for a split second. Aside from the visuals, the teaser also clues audiences in with Grande and Erivo’s rendition of the iconic Broadway track, “Defying Gravity“.
Wicked is adapted from the 2003 hit musical of the same name, which in turn was inspired by the 1939 film adaptation to The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum’s original novel from 1900. The roles of Glinda and Elphaba were initially made popular by its original performers, Broadway icons Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel –– even earning a win for Best Actress in a Musical at the 2004 Tony Awards for the latter. The film adaptation is scheduled to divide the musical into two parts, with Part 1 releasing this November 25, 2024, and its follow-up to be released on November 26, 2025.
In related news, Ariana Grande has also just recently announced the release of her seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine, which marks her first full-length record in nearly four years. Teasing what is to come off the record, Grande dropped its lead single “yes, and?” –– which peaked at the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100, and was received to commercial and critical acclaim alike. The record is expected to come out on March 8, 2024, and has been mentioned to supposedly take inspiration from the euphoric, house-inspired anthems of the 1990s.
As the world anticipates the release of Wicked, revisit the original Broadway cast recordings to the soundtrack below: