First Trailer For The 'Wicked' Movie Ft. Ariana Grande Is Here - Star ...

Image: Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in 'Wicked'. Source: Universal Pictures on YouTube

Magic and music combine in the first full trailer for Wicked, the first half of a two-film adaptation of the iconic stage musical. 

Helmed by Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba Thropp (the future Wicked Witch of the West) and Ariana Grande as Glinda Upland (the eventual Glinda the Good), Wicked tells the story of the two witches long before the events of The Wizard of Oz. 

The lengthy trailer shows off a number of key points from the source material, such as Elphaba and Glinda’s entrance into the world of Shiz University, a meeting with that wonderful Wizard of Oz (played by the ever-affable Jeff Goldblum) and snippets of iconic songs like Popular and Flying High. 

The trailer also gives a meaty look at the complicated relationship of Glinda and Elphaba, who are destined to become the ‘best of frenemies’ – a tense relationship that queer fans have embraced for decades for its sapphic undertones.  

Outside of this relationship, the long-running Broadway show has plenty of other LGBTQI+ themes, such as Elphaba’s rejection from broader society for things she cannot change, and the discrimination that Oz’s talking animals face reflecting marginalised groups in real life. 

This adaptation of the musical has potential to bring the LGBTQI+ subtext closer to the surface, owing to loads of publicly queer talent in the cast. Cynthia Erivo is openly queer and bisexual, while gay men Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton) and Bowen Yang (Fire Island, Bros) are key parts of the wider cast. 

Considering the myriad of moments that are sending shippers of Elphaba and Glinda into overdrive, the first part of Wicked is pleasing fans already – one quick look at the YouTube comment section of the trailer confirms as such. 

For Australians, the film’s late 2024 release is yet another opportunity to visit the Land of Oz; the highly successful Sydney season finished earlier this year, and the show is currently playing in Melbourne with a season for Brisbane starting in September. 

Wicked opens in Australian cinemas on November 28th, 2024, with Wicked: Part Two expected to release a year later on November 27th, 2025.