Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo shine in 'Wicked' trailer
Jon M Chu’s on-screen adaptation of Wicked stars Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo and Michelle Yeoh in the lead roles
The trailer of the famous musical Wicked was released during the Super Bowl on Sunday.
The two-part epic musical is directed by Jon M Chu from a screenplay by Winnie Holzman and Stephen Schwartz. The film is based on the 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire and stars Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo and Michelle Yeoh in the lead roles.
Once Ariana's Glinda the Good gets over Cynthia's Elphaba aka Wicked Witch of the West's green skin, the two seem to grow closer. "Something just takes over me and when it does, bad things happen," explains Elphaba and Michelle's Madame Morrible tells her that once she learns to harness her emotions, 'sky is the limit.'
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The film's events precede the Oz that Dorothy encounters and follow more along the lines of the Broadway musical, inspired by the novel. It tells the origin story of both the witches. "It's the Wizard who should be afraid of me," says Elphaba in a scene, setting things in motion, while the trailer also gives a tiny glimpse of Dorothy.
Jonathan Bailey stars as Fiyero Tigelaar, Ethan Slater as Boq, Bowen Yang as Pfannee, and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard of Oz in the film. Jeff's Wizard can also be heard saying in the trailer, "The best way to bring folks together is to give them a real good enemy," hinting that Elphaba will be that enemy.
Wicked is known as much for its story as the musical numbers featured in its Broadway show. Numbers like Defying Gravity, which is sampled in the trailer, Popular and The Wizard and I are popular among singers. The first part of Wicked will hit screens later this year while the second part is slated for release next year.
