The first look at the Wicked film adaptation has landed. Glinda and Elphaba—played by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, respectively—look absolutely stunning in their big movie musical makeover, which is set to release its first part this Thanksgiving.
“The best way to bring folks together is to give them a real good enemy,” narrates the Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) in the opening moments of the clip. Then, Elphaba and Glinda have their first encounter at Shiz University. Bubbly Glinda, who wears a fashionable pink from head-to-toe, is shocked to see her new roommate, Elphaba, is green.
To quote an old, wise frog, it’s not easy being green—and Elphaba struggles to fit in on campus. Her powers are too strong to control, although Glinda tries her best to remedy her new pal’s major struggles. In under a minute of screen time together, Grande and Erivo manage to prove not only that they’re glamorous enough to fill these big, ruby red slippers—they’ve got the chemistry to play great friends, too.
The teaser also gives Wicked fans their first look at Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, and Bowen Yang as Pfannee, although Grande’s rumored new beau Ethan Slater (who is set to play Boq) does not seem to make his debut in this first look. A few lines from “Defying Gravity” also play alongside the Wicked score.
Wicked enthusiasts were enthralled by this teaser, all sharing how excited they were to see director Jon M. Chu’s (In the Heights) vision of the original 1995 novel and 2003 stage show. “Ariana and Cynthia in Wicked are sweeping awards season y’all,” one Twitter user forecasted.
Wicked will be released in theaters on November 27.
