Literature and musical theater fans have never been so eye-to-eye in excitement as with the release of Wicked: For Good. Inspired by Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz, Gregory Maguire’s Wicked, and enlivened by the iconic Broadway adaptation, Wicked: For Good has some lofty expectations to meet after the success of the duology’s first instalment. Following its release in November 2024, Wicked reached critical acclaim with ten nominations and two wins for Best Costume and Production Design at the Oscars this year. Despite mumbled complaints over the movie’s run time and annoyance at the decision to split the story into two acts, Wicked was an instant cultural phenomenon. With a cast like Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, and Jeff Goldblum, how could it not be?
Where Did We Leave our Ozians?
The final trailer before Wicked: For Good’s release next month recently dropped, and the sneak peek promises crazier visuals, higher stakes, and winding twists and turns. Wicked focused primarily on the notorious Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba’s isolative, cruel upbringing, her rivalry-turned-friendship with Shiz’s golden girl Glinda, and her ostracization from society after discovering the Wizard’s evil agenda to enslave animals across Oz.
Glinda’s drive for adoration and notoriety proves stronger than her newfound bond with Shiz’s most powerful witch; in a jaw-dropping rendition of Defying Gravity, Elphaba and Glinda tearfully part with a mutual, but nonetheless painful, understanding that each other’s paths lead elsewhere. Elphaba, the city’s new wrongfully fingered villain, flies away from Oz on her broomstick while Glinda tearfully stays behind, aligning herself with the Wizard and Madame Morrible, who seek the destruction of her dearest friend.
Wicked held the lion’s share of the musical’s most loved numbers, The Wizard and I, Popular, and Defying Gravity, and put others back on the map. Grande and Erivo broke the internet with their rendition of What Is This Feeling? and the fantastical choreography of Dancing Through Life, spearheaded by Jonathan Bailey’s Prince Fiyero, was a sight to behold. However, the glimpses of the musical performances of Wicked: For Good promise to match the first film’s tenfold.
The Final Trailer for Wicked: For Good
The trailer begins with Glinda singing Thank Goodness as she begins her ascent to the widely loved Good Witch with the help of Madame Morrible. Marketed as the light in opposition to Elphaba’s darkness, the “Wicked Witch of the West” smear campaign is in full swing. Glinda has everything she’s wanted: adoring fans, magic powers (even if it’s just another illusion orchestrated by Morrible and the Wizard), and the man of her dreams, Fiyero. But we all know our beloved prince prefers green to pink… a fact that silently looms over Glinda and Fiyero’s relationship in the trailer.
Glinda’s parade of bubbles, wands, and loving crowds is suddenly foiled when we see Elphaba darting through the sky on her broom, leaving the words “Your Wizard Lies” in her wake. Transitioning into her iconic solo No Good Deed, Elphaba is seen flying through the sky with an army of flying monkeys at her back while the word of her wickedness is spread to the world below. Elphaba and Glinda fight broom to wand, Fiyero disparages Glinda for her inability to resist power and fame, and the first introduction of The Wizard of Oz’s plot is introduced. Elphaba speaks of a tornado and a flying house before we see the backs of our iconic team, Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow, standing before the wizard. Using them to do his bidding, the Wizard tells them to bring him the broom of the Wicked Witch to ensure she’s dead.
A redemption arc seems to be in the cards for Glinda, who cries, “Stop this. It’s gone too far,” to whom we can only hope is the wizard. Despite being on opposing sides, the bond between Elphaba and Glinda beats on. We hear Glinda’s voice warning Elphaba over the impending crusade and watch while they take hands as the heart-aching duet For Good rings out in the background. The trailer ends with the two seemingly pairing up to take down the Wizard, as a compilation of chaos ties the bow on the preview. The final few seconds reveal a potential new villain: Elphaba’s sister, Nessa (Marissa Bode), who hovers in the air in bewilderment with the iconic ruby red slippers at her feet.
Praise From Director Jon M. Chu
If the trailer wasn’t enough to get fans excited, director Jon M. Chu’s insistence on the performances, emotional depth of the story, and the unprecedented costume design to bring to life Baum’s characters surely is. Commenting on the meme-of-the-year, Grande and Erivo’s overwhelmingly emotive interviews with each other, Chu said,
“Everyone’s like, ‘The girls were so emotional — why are they so emotional?[…]It’s because we lived both movies. We lived their meeting, their separation, their death. We lived the whole thing before you ever saw one frame of it…. When you guys catch up and see this movie, we already know what you’re gonna feel. I’m excited for everyone to be there and finally share it and you’re gonna see these girls are incredible.”
– Jon M. Chu at the London Film Festival
After winning the Oscar for Best Costume Design, all eyes will be on the finale’s wardrobe and visuals. Chu is confident there will be no disappointment:
“Wait until you see the Tin Man and the Scarecrow […] These are not digital effects. These are real, physical makeup and hair. And it is extraordinary. I couldn’t show anybody here, but when you see it, when you look at it, know that there was no room for error on it. And the team that did it is just incredible.”
– Jon M. Chu at the London Film Festival
Oz hangs in the balance in the epic conclusion to the Wicked duology. Come what may, there is absolutely no fear over the vocal strength and chemistry between Erivo and Grande; these are supernovas, and they’re ready to explode in Wicked: For Good. If you have worries, worry for Oz: an evil leader and his minions, smear campaigns to sow division, a governmental take down, oh my! At least this is a fictional world, who knows? Maybe it’ll have a happy ending…
Looking for another impending adaptation? Catch up on the first look at People We Meet On Vacation here.
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