Wicked: For Good screens first footage at CinemaCon – here’s what we found out

Oh, to live in Los Angeles!

Warm weather, fewer expected trade tariffs, and a chance to attend CinemaCon and catch a first glimpse of the Wicked: For Good trailer.

Not yet released to the world, a very lucky group of fans and journalists had a first glimpse at just under three minutes of footage from the musical sequel movie, set to bubble into cinemas this November.

A few reputable sources have given a fairly comprehensive appraisal of what the footage contains, allowing us to glean some interesting insight into what to expect from the flick.

According to outlets like the Hollywood Reporter and Deadline, the trailer begins cracked windows around Glinda (Ariana Grande) in the Emerald City. “Elphaba, I know you’re here…Just come out before the monkeys spot you,” she says. “This is between us, the Wizard and I,” says Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo). Her rendition of “No Good Deed” underscores the first portion of the trailer. 

The footage then flashes through sequences: Prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) leads a squadron that is searching for Elphaba. Elphaba writes “Our Wizard Lies” in the sky with her broomstick. An angry mob with pitchforks appears. Elphaba stands in a treehouse. Glinda and Fiyero’s wedding scene is shown. 

Then, hit number “For Good” plays – “I’ve heard it said, that people come into our lives, for a reason,” Grande sings. “Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better,” Grande and Erivo harmonise. In another dialogue scene: “You’re the only friend I ever had,” Elphaba says. Glinda responds, “And I have so many friends.”

According to outlets, we then see an overhead shot of Dorothy walking the yellow brick road with the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion. “Because I knew you…I have been changed for good,” the pair sing together. In another moment, Fiyero aims a pistol at Elphaba, but quickly turns to aim at the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum). 

“I’m off to see the wizard,” says Elphaba. She flies through the sky followed by flying monkeys, closing out the trailer. 

From the description, it sounds as though the sequel will lean slightly further away from the source material than the first movie. As director Jon M Chu told us last year, For Good is all about “consequences” – the longstanding effect of Elphaba’s decisions in the original movie. You can watch the director discuss the next film below:

One mystery remains: the identity of the performer playing Dorothy. Sources have now largely debunked rumors that it’ll be Matilda star Alisha Weir in the role, but stranger things have happened in Oz.

For now, we wait.

Based on the hit novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, Wicked tells the story of two unlikely university friends in the land of Oz, one destined to become Glinda the Good and the other, the Wicked Witch of the West. Wicked writers Winnie Holzman (book) and Stephen Schwartz (score) are collaborating on the screenplay with Dana Fox. The first film won two Oscars last month.