Wicked Movie: Trailer, Release Date, Cast, and Everything You Need to Know
Screenshot/YouTube/Universal Pictures
Ready for one of the most iconic villain origin stories to hit the big screen? The Wicked movie is officially on the way.
The Tony-winning Broadway musical — a Wizard of Oz prequel ?based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West — is finally heading to theaters next holiday season. Wicked is being adapted for not one, but two major motion pictures under Universal, and more and more confirmed details about the films are slowly trickling in.
Wicked first debuted on Broadway in 2003, where Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel originated the roles of Glinda and Elphaba. The interconnected story of the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West takes place long before Dorothy drops into the wonderful land of Oz. In fact, the prequel details the unlikely friendship between the two then-aspiring witches in their youth before they became enemies, changing the fate of their lives, and Oz, for good.
In case you haven’t heard by now, mega popstar Ariana Grande and Tony-winner Cynthia Erivo will lead the upcoming films as witches Glinda and Elphaba, respectively, and will be directed by Jon M. Chu of Crazy Rich Asians and In The Heights fame.
So many developments have occurred since the Wicked movie musical adaptation was first announced, so we've gathered everything you need to know into one guide: from the buzzy cast (including Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero) to adaptation differences and song teasers (from “Defying Gravity" to ”For Good" and “Popular”) to the (multiple) release date changes to the special Super Bowl 2024 sneak peek at the film. Pro tip: Click an arrowed topic below to head straight there.
→ Announcement
→ Filming details
→ Photos and trailers
→ Behind-the-scenes
→ Release date
→ Plot
→ Cast
→ Movie differences
→ New music
When were the Wicked movies first announced?
The initial news of Universal’s Wicked movie adaptation broke in 2016, with its original theatrical release set for December 20, 2019. Evidently, there have since been delays that pushed the film to its current 2024 date. But on April 26, 2022, Chu shared news that clarified the reason behind the long wait.
“As we prepared the production over the last year, it became impossible to wrestle the story of Wicked into a single film without doing some real damage to it,” he wrote in a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter).
“As we tried to cut songs or trim characters, those decisions began to feel like fatal compromises to the source material that has entertained us all for so many years. We decided to give ourselves a bigger canvas and make not just one Wicked movie but two! With more space, we can tell the story of Wicked as it was meant to be told while bringing even more depth and surprise to the journeys for these beloved characters.” Chu's two-part announcement delighted some fans while downright annoying others.
On February 11, 2024, the day the first trailer dropped, Wicked producer Marc Platt defended the decision to split up the movies to Vanity Fair. “We didn’t want to end up making one four-hour movie and then cutting out songs. We want to satisfy the fans of the musical,” said Platt. “Film allows you to create a place and a time — a university like Shiz, an extraordinary Emerald City governor’s mansion. There’s so much more to explore.”
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Have the Wicked movies finished filming?
On December 7, 2022, Grande, Erivo, and Chu confirmed filming on the movie adaptations had begun via several Instagram Stories posts. In one post, the director shared a Wicked-themed drawing from his daughter “to commemorate the first day of shooting.”
Production temporarily shut down amid the SAG-AFTRA strike this past July. At the time, Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz confirmed to Variety that there were only 10 days left to complete filming parts one and two. Chu also shared an update during the strike, assuring fans that the “release date shouldn't be affected” on X: “Not done yet. Just paused until the strike is over and we can finish the last pieces of the movie. We were only a few days away from being done so we were SO close. It’s been very painful to put a halt to it all but we will be back! And we will finish properly strong when the time is right."
And time was eventually right: Ariana Grande herself announced she had wrapped filming for both of the Wicked movies with a cryptic post on January 25, 2023. “Like a handprint on my heart,” the star captioned a post on Instagram in reference to the song “For Good.” The post showed the silhouette of Grande as Glinda on set.
Resharing Grande's post to his stories, director Jon M. Chu wrote: “Will never forget my year with our Galinda. Can't wait for you to meet her. Thank you Ariana Grande for pouring your heart into Oz.” In another story, Chu tagged Cynthia Erivo, adding: “One more day left. Cynthia Erivo, are you ready?” Erivo replied: “As ready as I'll ever be!! Let's goooooo!” As of January 26, 2024, filming on both Wicked movies have wrapped.
Wicked Movie: Release Date, Cast, Trailer, and Everything You Need to Know
Courtesy of Instagram.
Wicked Movie: Release Date, Cast, Trailer, and Everything You Need to Know
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Are there trailers and first-look photos for the Wicked movies?
After much teasing, the first official trailer for Wicked, which you can watch above, arrived on May 15, 2025. The trailer shows us Elphaba and Glinda's first meeting, with a snippet of their version of the ever-so-popular “Popular” playing in the background. On the song front, we also get a glimpse of “Defying Gravity” while seeing the change in dynamics between the two witches as well as the introduction of the Wizard.
"Don't be afraid," Ariana Grande's Glinda says to Cynthia Erivo's Elphaba with tears in her eyes. “I'm not afraid. It's the wizard who should be afraid of me," Elphaba replies confidently.
Universal released a second official trailer for part one of Wicked on September 5, 2024. “Discover everything that happened before Dorothy dropped in,” the trailer teases before Grande's Glinda proclaims: “Let me tell you the whole story.” The trailer give us a first teaser and Grande and Erivo's version of fan-favorite song “For Good," fittingly mixed into “Defying Gravity.”
The first Wicked teaser arrived via prime Super Bowl 2024 placement on February 11, 2024. The minute-long trailer reveals a tantalizing first look at what the movie will feel and sound like, featuring high-flying colorful scenery and snippets of ambitious scenes, all set to even more “Defying Gravity.” You can see the teaser below:
Chu, Grande, and Erivo also shared first-look photos from Wicked during production back in April 2023, posting never-before-seen images of the two witches on social media. Chu captioned his post, “You weren’t told the whole story. What happens when you veer off the Yellow Brick Road? FIRST LOOK of the #WickedMovie… currently in production in Oz. ???????@WickedMovie @UniversalPics #2024.”
Almost a whole year later, on March 20, 2024, Vanity Fair finally released a proper first look at the movie with a series of exclusive pictures. In the shots, the Wicked actors pose in character on various sets of the movie. The first pic shows Grande as Glinda and Erivo as Elphaba inside their shared room, the former surrounded by pink trinkets and the latter posing with books and plants galore.
The second shot is a portrait of Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum as Madame Morrible and the Wizard, respectively. We also get a peek at Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero mounting a black horse, as well as Marissa Bode as Nessarose, a (slightly orange?) Ethan Slater as Boq, Bowen Yang as Pfannee, and Bronwyn James as ShenShen in their Shiz University uniforms. Vanity Fair also released solo shots of Grande as Glinda The Good Witch, crown and starburst scepter included, in an all-pink gown with silver embroidery, a change from the character's traditional baby blue ensemble.
Erivo's solo shot is more faithful to the original musical and sees her fully turned into the Wicked Witch of the West with her iconic all-black 'fit — sharp hat included. (“Defying Gravity" hive, rise!)
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Are there any behind-the-scenes looks at Wicked?
There is, indeed. On July 24, 2024, Universal put out a two-minute behind-the-scenes featurette showing viewers how the Wicked world was built brick by brick for the movie. “We knew that we wanted Wicked to be immersive,” director Jon M. Chu says in the video. “What does it feel like to be in Oz? To feel in in your fingertips? If you want to be inside that world, you got to build it.”
The next few clips give us an aerial view of the set, including Emerald City and Munchkinland, being built by hand as a 1:1 recreation — including the infamous yellow bricks being painted one by one. “A lot of it is real. physical, tangible sets,” Ariana Grande adds before Chu shows the field of tulips that were planted and the train that was built for the movie.
Universal had also put out another Wicked featurette called Wicked - Passion Project with interviews from the cast and crew about joining the project. The two-minute featurette features scenes from Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo's auditions and more, with commentary from director Jon M. Chu, as well as clips from the set. You can watch it below:
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When are the Wicked movies coming out?
Between calendar shifts and COVID-19-related production delays, the release of the first Wicked movie has moved around quite a bit. A few months before its 2019 premiere, Universal announced that the movie had been pushed to December 22, 2021, though the pandemic set that date back, too. The next date was intended to be December 25, 2024, for Wicked: Part 1 and December 25, 2025, for Part 2.
However, both dates were moved up during the spring and summer of 2023. On June 20, 2023, Deadline reported that the first film was slated for a November 27, 2024, theatrical release just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. The pub also noted the second installment would be released almost exactly one year later, on November 26, 2025. However, things changed again in 2024.
On July 1, 2024, Jon M. Chu himself announced that the release date for the first Wicked movie had been moved up, setting the final official premiere for November 22, 2024. “5. DAYS. EARLIER!!!! Let’s goooo!!" Chu announced on X.
With the new November 22 date, Wicked, which was going to compete directly with Disney's Moana 2, will now do so with Gladiator II, starring Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal, in the U.S. Of course, the memes are already starting to roll in, with many referencing last year's Barbenheimer and making jokes about "Gladicked” and “Defying Gladity.”
Now that you've enjoyed some memes, it's worth noting the date for the second movie is currently still expected to be November 26, 2025.
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What are the Wicked movies about?
Like Gregory Maguire’s book, the premise of the Wicked movies follow Glinda and Elphaba as students at Shiz University, where they, despite their differences, navigate friendship, magical training, and even romance, all while discovering their own identities. However, the alternate look at the world of Oz takes a turn when Elphaba is wrongfully deemed the "wicked" witch. The films are expected to chronicle how she became the villain we know her to be and explore her connections with other beloved Oz characters.
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Who is in the cast of the Wicked movies?
As previously mentioned, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo star as leads Glinda and Elphaba, the blonde-haired and green-skinned witches who anchor the movie's musical extravaganza. During an appearance on Amazon Music's Zach Sang Show on February 26, 2024, Grande said she has “never wanted something as badly” as she wanted the role of Glinda, “hunting” producer Marc Platt for the past ten years.
“Since I was 20, I was like, ‘Hey, I don't know when this is happening, but when it's happening, may I please at least just audition?’" recalled Grande. "That's all I wanted, was an audition. I've never wanted anything more.”
Related: Ariana Grande’s New Blonde Hair Is Giving Us a Glimpse of Glinda
Grande revealed that “prepping for the auditions [took] six months," involving rigorous “voice lessons every day [and] acting lessons every day." “I trained every single day to prove to [Wicked producers] that I could handle taking on this other person," Grande explained to Sang. "I had to completely erase popstar Ari, the person they know so well, because it’s harder to believe someone as someone else because they’re so branded as one thing. I had to really go all the way to strip that down.”
Read More: Dove Cameron Lost Her Wicked Movie “Dream Role” to Ariana Grande
“I learned so much from Glinda,” Grande continued, calling the day she got the part “the best day of my life.” “I kind of healed a lot of parts of myself alongside and through her. And it actually helped me heal a lot of my own personal, weird stuff that I had with my relationship with music and to being an artist.”
Grande and Erivo announced their casting news in respective Instagram posts on November 4, 2021. Wicked alum Chenoweth gave the two stars her seal of approval via another IG post, which included a screenshot of one of Grande’s 2011 tweets where she called Glinda her “#dreamrole.”
Chenoweth wrote: “I’m not sure if I’ve ever been this proud. From the very first day I met you (swipe to see!!), you were destined for this role. Congratulations @arianagrande! The best Glinda you will be with @cynthiaerivo by your side ???? I love you!! ???♀????? @wickedmovie @wicked_musical #wicked.”
Chenoweth’s former costar, Menzel, echoed similar sentiments when she commented on Grande and Erivo’s casting news on X as well. “Congrats to two amazing women,” Menzel wrote. “May it change your lives for the better forever and ever as it has for us. So much love.”
Joining Erivo and Grande in the Wicked movie cast is Bridgerton breakout star Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, the witches’ love interest. On August 12, 2024, Universal gave us our first proper first-look at movie Fiyero in action with a teaser focused on the character and, yes, he will have a British accent and be as charming as the musical's.
The teaser gives us a glimpse at Ariana Grande's Glinda finding out Fiyero is in town reading The Shiz Gazette. “Fiyero Spotted at Shiz,” the headline reads. “Meet Oz's most eligible bachelor,” the screen then proclaims. “I see that the responsibility to corrupt my fellow students falls to me,” cheeky Fiyero then proclaims before we get a teaser of his dynamic with both Glinda and Elphaba — IYKYK.
The cast also includes Everything Everywhere All At Once star Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, the headmistress of Crage Hall at Shiz University; Broadway veteran Ethan Slater (also Grande’s rumored boyfriend) as Boq, the romantic interest of Elphaba’s younger sister, Nessarose; and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard.
Related: Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater: A Complete Timeline of Events
Newcomer Marissa Bode will make her feature debut as Nessarose. Saturday Night Live star Bowen Yang and Lockwood & Co. actor Bronwyn James also join the roster as Pfannee and ShenShen, respectively, Elphaba and Glinda’s classmates. Additional Wicked casting includes The Greatest Showman star Keala Settle as Miss Coddle, Hot Fuzz actor Colin Michael Carmichael as Professor Nikidik, and Aaron Teoh as Avaric.
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How will the Wicked movie differ from the Broadway musical?
Opening Night of Wicked on Broadway
As mentioned, the Wicked movies will similarly follow the Broadway musical’s plot, though star Cynthia Erivo previously teased that some parts will take a slight departure from the original material. “I think it's going to be unlike anything you've ever seen before,” she told Entertainment Tonight in 2022. “I think we're going to enjoy the magic of it. We're going to try and put our own spin on what we know already and show you a story about two women [who] are sisters.”
Related: Ariana Grande Just Got a Wicked Tattoo
It also remains to be seen exactly where in the plot the coming-of-age tale will be split into two, but given Chu’s announcement, a two-parter will ensure a deeper dive into the story with some surprises along the way.
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Will there be new music in the Wicked movies?
A Very Wicked Halloween: Celebrating 15 Years on Broadway - Season 2018
According to composer Schwartz, the upcoming Wicked movies will, indeed, include new musical material. Back in 2016, while speaking at a Behind the Music panel during Comic-Con, he predicted that there would “probably four new songs in the movie." At the time, Playbill reported that three of the songs would be newly written, while one was cut from the original Broadway production.
Be that as it may, on December 6, 2023, Schwartz shared an updated count of the new music with The Messenger: two brand-new songs, written exclusively for the film adaptations, will be featured in Wicked: Part 2.
“There are some expansions of stuff in the first movie. The point being, the new songs were written because of the demand of the story, not, 'Oh, let's write a new song and stick it in just because,'” said Schwartz. "The storytelling required it, and therefore they were created — the intention was that they were organic and not imposed on the movie."
“It's been very important to us to make sure that it is the show, that it is the story that the fans love and that they're coming to expect and not disappoint them,” he continued. “And at the same time, [it was also important to] be able to expand the story to make use of what the language of film and the technology of film allows you to do. As we talked about the story we wanted to tell, it was impossible really to get into one movie unless the movie were four hours long. And so the decision was made to make two movies. And consequently, there's new stuff that I think the fans will enjoy.”
On March 21, 2024, director Jon M. Chu revealed to Vanity Fair that with both the new and old music, the vocals were recorded live — a stunning feat considering a few of the musical numbers require stunts with harnesses and jumps. According to Erivo, Grande even sang live while “jumping on a chandelier over my head.” “These are live vocals,” Chu confirmed to VF. “When we were shooting it, those girls were like, ‘F*ck the pre-records. We’re going live.’”
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This post will continue to be updated as news about the Wicked movies break.
Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
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