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Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Defy Gravity in Dazzling First-Ever Look at Wicked

Something magical is happening in Oz, and audiences are finally getting a glimpse of all the green and pink action.

Universal brought the first-ever footage of Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda in the movie version of “Wicked” to CinemaCon, the annual movie theater owners convention in Las Vegas. Erivo and Grande weren’t on hand to perform, but viewers were able to hear the captivating sounds of classic Broadway tunes like “Defying Gravity” and “Popular” in the background of the dazzling, magical footage.

The never-before-seen clip begins as Michelle Yeoh’s Madame Morrible works with the green-skinned Elphaba to help her control her gift. “Once you learn to harness your emotions, the sky is the limit,” Morrible tells her student.

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The featurette gives a sense of the sweeping, brightly lit set and includes scenes of Elphaba roaming the halls of Shiz University before meeting Glinda, who presents her new roommate with that iconic pointy black hat. (It’s really, uh, sharp. Don’t you think?) Later in the trailer, Jeff Goldblum makes an appearance as the wonderful Wizard of Oz, the blonde-haired Glinda transports by bubble and Elphaba sports her signature broomstick.

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But it’s the moments of sisterhood that stand out; “Wicked” reveals the backstory of the friends-turned-enemies known as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch.

“Pink goes good with green,” Glinda tells Elphaba as she puts a flower behind her ear. “Look at you, you’re beautiful.” Elphaba tells her, “You really don’t have to do that,” to which Glinda famously responds, “I know. That’s what makes me so nice.”

Jon M. Chu, who brought Lin Manuel Miranda’s hit musical “In the Heights” to the screen in 2021, is directing the two-part “Wicked” movie. Stephen Schwartz, who wrote the music and lyrics to the Broadway show, is adapting the screenplay with Winnie Holzman.

“‘Wicked’ is about change, and it’s necessary for things to get better,” Chu says in video footage that played in between clips of the movie. He promises that Grande will “leave you breathless” and Erivo will “break your heart.”

“Wicked,” one of the longest running and most popular shows on Broadway, is a prequel to the “Wizard of Oz” and recounts everything that happened before Dorothy sauntered down that iconic yellow brick road. There were even a few glimpses in Wednesday’s footage of those ruby red slippers and that infamously lethal bucket of water.

“‘Wicked’ is a proud part of our legacy,” says Universal’s chairman Donna Langley, who calls the movie a “true cinematic spectacle.” She stressed to the room at Caesars Palace that the footage they were about to see wasn’t complete, though the clips were warmly received by the crowd.

Langley seconded the power of Grande and Erivo’s casting, saying they were born to play these roles. “They are brilliant, and they are matched with an equally brilliant supporting cast,” she added.

The first “Wicked” is landing in theaters on Nov. 27, 2024 with the second installment to follow on Dec. 25, 2025.

During its CinemaCon presentation, Universal also offered looks at Christopher Nolan’s sweeping drama “Oppenheimer,” Illumination’s animated adventure “Migration,” the “Fast and Furious” sequel “Fast X” and plenty more.

“You can see that we’ve got a steady stream of movies throughout the year and beyond,” Langley said. “We’re going to continue to commit to putting movies of all shapes and sizes into your theaters.”

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