Sam Raimi’s Oz the Great and Powerful never really did build up to that Wicked adaptation, but we have a new attempt at reinventing the land of Oz with Cynthia Erivo and Arian Grande.
Check out the latest trailer for Wicked:
The official description for Wicked reads:
Wicked, the untold story of the witches of Oz, stars Emmy, Grammy and Tony winning powerhouse Cynthia Erivo (Harriet, Broadway’s The Color Purple) as Elphaba, a young woman, misunderstood because of her unusual green skin, who has yet to discover her true power, and Grammy-winning, multi-platinum recording artist and global superstar Ariana Grande as Glinda, a popular young woman, gilded by privilege and ambition, who has yet to discover her true heart.
The two meet as students at Shiz University in the fantastical Land of Oz and forge an unlikely but profound friendship. Following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads and their lives take very different paths. Glinda’s unflinching desire for popularity sees her seduced by power, while Elphaba’s determination to remain true to herself, and to those around her, will have unexpected and shocking consequences on her future. Their extraodinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfill their destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Other actors included in the cast are Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, and Keala Settle. Of course, we also shouldn’t forget the guy playing the infamous Wizard of Oz—Jeff Goldblum.
Wicked is considered to be the first part of a two-part ‘cultural celebration’, and is being helmed by Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights director Jon M. Chu.
With the play split in two acts, I’m guessing that the first part film is going to cover the events pre-Wizard of Oz, and the sequel is going to focus on Elphaba’s story after she has her encounter with Dorothy and is ‘melted with water’.
Wicked is admittedly one of the biggest Broadway musicals of all time, and Univeral is pretty aware of that. Good thing they already locked in the sequel for a release next year—unlike Dune which had to wait before the sequel could get greenlit.
The first part of Wicked comes out Nov. 27 this year, and the sequel releases on Nov. 26, 2025.
