By Nell Geraets
Look out Ozians, the witch is back. The trailer for Wicked: For Good has officially landed, offering fans a first glimpse into what Elphaba, Glinda and the Emerald City have to offer next.
Following Jon M. Chu’s Academy Award-winning Wicked: Part I, which was adapted from the iconic Broadway musical, the sequel picks up where the first left off: Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) has been dubbed the Wicked Witch of the West by the fraudulent Wizard (Jeff Goldblum), complicating her friendship with Glinda, the Good Witch (Ariana Grande).
The trailer for Wicked: For Good has dropped, and fans are already noticing some key differences.Credit: Universal
The two films were filmed back-to-back but separated into two features, with the first ending at the same point as the Broadway version’s intermission.
For Good will land in cinemas on November 21, exactly a year after the first, which ultimately won two Oscars and grossed $1.16 billion globally.
“I think the meat of what Wicked is all about happens in movie two,” Chu told Vanity Fair on Wednesday. “To me, this is why this story exists. This is where our childhood dreams collide with our adult selves.”
Despite its release still being more than five months away, fans are already champing at the bit for any new details. Here are some of the biggest takeaways from the trailer.
Something Bad
Unlike the first film, which was a green and pink singing extravaganza, For Good is adopting a far darker tone. This is a logical choice since it will explore heavier themes such as prejudice, government corruption, and the powers of propaganda.
The trailer opens with glass shattering and the knell of foreboding bells. Gone are the upbeat numbers like Popular; instead, it’s replaced by more powerful solos like No Good Deed and emotional duets like For Good.
And near the end of the trailer, a warning from Glinda: “Elphaba, they’re coming for you.”
The wedding that never happened
In the Broadway musical, which is primarily based on the 1995 Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, an engagement between Glinda and Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) is announced, but the pair never officially gets married. However, Glinda is seen in a white wedding gown in the For Good trailer.
This would be quite a departure from the original musical, which shows Fiyero actively opposed to marrying Glinda, given his feelings for Elphaba. Some fans are speculating that this is simply part of a dream sequence and that the pair doesn’t actually wed, thus keeping in line with the source material.
Dorothy isn’t in Kansas any more
Wicked depicts the moments leading up to The Wizard of Oz, the classic 1939 musical. In the stage play, you only see Dorothy’s shadow. However, it seems the young Kansas girl will play a more prominent role in the film sequel.
Though her face isn’t revealed, the trailer depicts Dorothy, recognisable by her signature braids and blue-and-white dress, as well as her beloved dog Toto. They’re even shown walking down a yellow-brick road – a wink to one of the most famous songs from the ’30s film.
Judy Garland as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz in 1939.Credit: Corbis via Getty Images
“Does The Wizard of Oz and our movie intersect in movie two more than ever? 100 per cent,” Chu recently told Vanity Fair. “We tread lightly, but try to make more sense of how it impacts our girls and our characters than maybe the show does.”
Dancing Through Life (with two new songs)
The trailer features some fan-favourite songs, including No Good Deed and For Good, but it also teases an entirely new number. Granted, the snippet is lyric-less and lasts for practically only a millisecond, but it still points to the new material Chu has promised.
The director has said there will be two new songs in For Good: one for Elphaba and another for Glinda. Both will reportedly be written by the original Wicked musical’s composer, Stephen Schwartz.
“They’re great additions to this movie. They were necessary in this movie to help tell the story,” Chu told Vanity Fair.
Wicked: For Good will land in cinemas on November 21.
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