Charles Pulliam-Moore is a reporter focusing on film, TV, and pop culture. Before The Verge, he wrote about comic books, labor, race, and more at io9 and Gizmodo for almost five years.
Though Universal’s decision to split Wicked’s story across two films seemed a little iffy at first, the new trailer for Wicked: For Good makes it look like the studio knows exactly what it’s doing.
Despite all of the vibrant colors and singing, there’s a dark undertone in the new Wicked: For Good trailer that speaks to how the first movie ended. Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) has become known as the Wicked Witch of the West, and the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) has convinced everyone in Oz that she’s a villain who’s meant to be feared.
With Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) working her own magic to create chaos across Oz and Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) being the face of the Wizard’s hunt to find Elphaba, people are inclined to believe that she truly is a danger to them all. But the trailer makes it abundantly clear that Glinda (Arianna Grande) hasn’t bought into the negative propaganda about her good friend at all.
The trailer makes Wicked, part two, seem like it’s going to have no trouble standing on its own with a distinct tone and powerful renditions of the original musical’s second act songs. And when the movie hits theaters on November 21st, it’s probably going to set off a new wave of sing-alongs that we should all start getting ready for.