" I do it her so much . I ’m going to take such good guardianship of her . "
We are six months away from arguably one of the most highly-anticipated movie events of 2024:Wicked.
Adapting the hit Broadway musical into a movie has been in the making for years, and now we are closer than ever to seeing it.Wickedfollows Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande) as they attend Shiz University. The story chronicles what happened before Elphaba became the Wicked Witch of the West inThe Wizard of Oz.
The film is directed by Jon M. Chu, who previously directedCrazy Rich AsiansandIn the Heights, and is written by Winnie Holzman, who also wrote the stage musical.
Up until this point, we’ve seen some behind-the-scenes photos from filming,a teaser trailer, and Cynthia and Ariana attending multiple events together — often in their characters' signature green and pink colors. But now we’ve got anincredible first lookat what has gone into the making of the film.
First, we get to see when Cynthia found out she was cast as Elphaba, a moment that came after Cynthia explained how she went and sawWickedwhen she was 25 years old and felt like she “was floating on air” and she’d never seen anything like it.
Similarly, we see when Ariana was officially offered the role of Glinda.Of course, for years, Ariana has talked about how much she’s adoredWicked, specifically Glinda, and in the video, she even talks about seeing the original Broadway cast ofWickedwhen she was 10 years old.
Alongside the emotional casting moments, we also get our first look at some iconic scenes from the stage musical, and it just has me even more excited for this movie.
First, here’s Elphaba and Glinda dancing together in a mirror, which I just have to assume is from “Popular”:
We see a bunch of Shiz students dancing and Glinda standing with other students, assumingly during “Dear Old Shiz”:
Cynthia and Ariana as Elphaba and Glinda walking through the streets with the signature green glasses that are seen in “One Short Day” in the Broadway musical:
There’s a glimpse of Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) and Glinda going to the party that is typically at the center of “Dancing Through Life”:
And Elphaba entering the party with the signature black pointy hat that Glinda gives her as a joke in the musical:
Elphaba and Glinda share a moment in an attic where Elphaba adjusts her hat and grabs a broom, assumingly during “Defying Gravity”:
Jonathan and Cynthia as Fiyero and Elphaba share a moment, and from this glimpse alone, I know “As Long As You’re Mine” will RUIN me when we eventually see that:
Here’s Glinda talking with the people of Oz:
When Elphaba and Glinda meet the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) for the first time:
We also just get some great first looks at the cast in character, including this adorable group photo of Ethan, Ariana, Jonathan, Cynthia, and Marissa as Boq, Glinda, Fiyero, Elphaba, and Nessarose, respectively.
And, here’s a glimpse of The Wizard, Glinda, Elphaba, and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh):
The featurette was also released in anticipation of the first full-length trailer, which will reportedly drop later this week,per Variety.
Anyway, overall, this made me — someone who has seen the stage musical ofWickedmore times than I’d like to admit (13, whoops) — very emotional and excited to see this movie.
You can watch the full video about the making ofWickedbelow:
Wicked: Part Onehits theaters on Nov. 27, 2024.
