Even though we’re sad to see the summer come to an end, we’re still saying thank goodness that it’s September because we’re just a little bit over two months away from the arrival ofWicked: Part One. To celebrate the occasion, Universal Pictures has released the latest teaser that foreshadows what will happen in the first part ofJon M. Chu’s cinematic adaptationof the Tony Award-winning smash-hit musical. Letting their voices fly higher than ever before,Ariana GrandeandCynthia Erivocontinue to steal the show in this latest teaser.
Split into two parts for time’s sake,the first half ofWickedwill introduce audiences to Galinda Upland (Grande) and Elphaba Thropp (Erivo), two new students at Shiz University who couldn’t be any more different - or so they think. Galinda has only known a life ofpopularity and pink, while Elphaba has always been seen as an outcast, largely thanks to her uniquely green skin. Their worlds collide at the magical university and both of the young women rub off on one another, forging a friendship that will carry them to the Emerald City where they’ll meet The Wizard of Oz. But things aren’t as they seem and soon the pair’s paths will go their separate ways as they fight against the surrounding injustices.
We knew that the cast ofWickedwould be a stacked one, especially when Erivo and Grande signed on, but the call sheet has grown into something bigger than the ego of Oz himself. Joining in for what will undoubtedly be one of the biggest films of the year areMichelle Yeoh(Everything Everywhere All at Once),Jeff Goldblum(Thor: Ragnarok),Jonathan Bailey(Fellow Travelers),Ethan Slater(Fosse/Verdon),Peter Dinklage(Game of Thrones),Bowen Yang(Saturday Night Live) and more.
Jon M. Chu is Eyeing Up More Success with ‘Wicked’
Making his directorial debut with 2008’sStep Up 2: The Streets(arguably the best movie in theStep Upfranchise), Chu has only continued to defy gravity and rise to greatness over the last decade. The director has dipped his hands into various genres with his eye behind such titles asG.I. Joe: Retaliation,Now You See Me 2, andCrazy Rich Asians, but we’re thrilled to have him back behind another musical adaptation. Previously, Chu helmed the big-screen takeover ofLin-Manuel Miranda’sIn the Heights, which gave us impressive performances fromAnthony Ramos(Twisters),Melissa Barrera(Abigail), and more. Now, he’s bound to do it all over again with both parts ofWicked.
Check out the latest trailer forWickedabove and see it when the title soars into cinemas on November 22.
The story of how a green-skinned woman framed by the Wizard of Oz becomes the Wicked Witch of the West. The first of a two-part feature film adaptation of the Broadway musical.
