‘Wicked’ trailer sees Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo duet on ‘Defying Gravity’

6 September, 2024

The latest trailer for Wicked is out now, and it features extensive use of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s duet of ‘Defying Gravity’ – check it out below.

The film is the first of a two-part adaptation of the stage musical of the same name, and stars Erivo as Elphaba and Grande as Glinda, alongside the likes of Michelle Yeoh (who plays Madame Morrible), Jeff Goldblum (the Wizard of Oz) and Jonathan Bailey (Fiyero Tigelaar). It will be released in cinemas on November 22.

Now, the film’s second official trailer has been released, and it shows the CGI-created land of Oz, alongside glimpses of the two lead characters’ backstories. The trailer is scored by the two stars’ rendition of ‘Defying Gravity’, one of the musical’s signature songs. Watch below:

Wicked, which is directed by Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians, In The Heights), is the first instalment of the film adaptation, with Wicked: Part Two expected on November 26, 2025.

‘Defying Gravity’, like the rest of the songs from the original show, was written by Stephen Schwartz and originally recorded by Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth in 2003.

The stage version of Wicked has been a monster hit, running for over two decades and winning Tony and Grammy Awards. It is currently the fourth longest-running show on Broadway.

The film, meanwhile, is set to be released on the same day as Gladiator II, with some onlookers dubbing the clash as ‘Glicked’, in homage to the runaway success of ‘Barbenheimer’ in 2023.

Wicked had initially been slated for a November 27 release, but this was moved forward five days to avoid a family blockbuster clash with Moana 2.

The new trailer follows on from the first full-length trailer in May, which also featured new vocals from Grande, specifically on the track ‘Popular’.

In other Grande news, she recently opened up about how “time and therapy” had helped her to reconnect with and “re-embrace” her earlier music.

“There was a time when it was hard for me to feel that same gratitude that I do now for certain songs and for the music because I think some of it was like a stressful time and I think becoming a pop star is insane at 19 or 20 and I think that experience was sort of married to some of the songs a little bit,” she explained.

“Or like some of the songs that are more emotional that the experience that inspired them can be married to the music to me for a second, but with time and therapy we sort of are able to re-embrace, so I feel just really proud and grateful and happy when I hear them, whereas I used to maybe hear it and cry.”

She has also said she is working on finding dates for a “mini” tour to support ‘Eternal Sunshine’, the album she released in March.

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