Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande Share A Sacred Alliance In New ‘Wicked’ Trailer: Watch
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo prove that some bonds form in the most unexpected ways as they co-star in John M. Chu’s Wicked. In the trailer for the highly-anticipated film adaptation of the Tony-winning musical, Grande plays Glinda, the Good Witch while Erivo portrays Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West.
Wicked follows Elphaba and Glinda’s unlikely friendship before Dorothy arrives in Oz. It also stars Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Jeff Goldblum, and Bowen Yang.
For Erivo and Grande, their respective roles are “two roles that have been so pivotal in our lives,” and they forged a real-life sisterhood in the process.
“When two giant stars come together, you never know what kind of egos come flying out,” Chu admitted to Vanity Fair. However, the women bonded instead of becoming rivals.
“I just need to say that I don’t think people realize that she’s got the chops,” Erivo said of Grande. “I don’t think people realize how brilliant this person’s brain and voice and talent is.” In turn, Grande replied, “She’s my favorite female voice. When I was watching you sing at the Oscars, I said, ‘I hope someday I get to sing with her.’”
After sharing an “extensive amount of footage” from the film at CinemaCon in April, Chu expressed, “We dreamed very, very, very big for Wicked. A magical land of sights and sounds that will astonish, and performances that will lift your spirits and occasionally break your heart.”
The teaser for the film first aired during Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11 and is based on a musical based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 book, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. It adapted characters from L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which garnered acclaim in the 1939 Oscar-winning film The Wizard Of Oz.
The first installment of the two-part film adaptation Wicked theaters on November 27. Its sequel, Wicked Part Two, is set to be released on Nov. 26, 2025.
Watch the trailer above.