The trailer for Wicked: For Good premiered today during a special one-night event that saw the 2024 film re-released in select cinemas across North America. Audiences were treated to an early look at the second and final chapter of the two-part adaptation, with the trailer shown at the end of the screening, along with commemorative materials marking the occasion.
Following the success of the 2024 film Wicked, this new installment returns to the story of Elphaba and Glinda with a renewed sense of scale and ambition. The film arrives with a deep cultural history behind it, tracing its roots through literature, film, and Broadway. Its next chapter carries the momentum of everything that came before – and the confidence of a franchise that understands its audience.
The Trailer
The trailer opens with Glinda and Elphaba facing each other across a shattered wall of glass, a visual fracture that sets the emotional tone for what follows. Elphaba appears alone, focused, and more powerful than before. “There’s no going back,” she says. “This is between the Wizard and I.” Glinda is shown preparing for her wedding, poised in her gown but visibly conflicted. Fiyero leads the Wizard’s Guard in search of Elphaba, while Madame Morrible’s voice echoes across Oz, condemning the so-called Wicked Witch. Scenes shift quickly – flying monkeys soar through stormy skies, torch-bearing crowds gather, and flashes of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion trace a clear link back to the classic 1939 film. Musically, the trailer builds around soaring lines from “No Good Deed” and “For Good,” hinting at the emotional weight of what’s to come without revealing the two new songs written for this final chapter. In under three minutes, the trailer sets the scale: Oz is on the brink, and the story now turns on the choices of two women who once changed each other – and might have to again.
A Story Built on Layers
The origin of Wicked is one of the most intricate in contemporary storytelling. It all began with L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), a children’s book that introduced the magical land of Oz and inspired countless adaptations. But it was the 1939 MGM film The Wizard of Oz that added some of the most enduring visuals to the story – the Wicked Witch’s green skin, Glinda’s bubble, and the ruby slippers created specifically for Technicolor. These creative choices helped shape what Oz has come to mean across generations.
Decades later, Gregory Maguire reapproached the material with Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (1995). His novel explored the idea that stories, especially those told by the victors, rarely present the full truth. It gave the so-called Wicked Witch a name – Elphaba – and positioned her as a misunderstood, intelligent outsider. That perspective helped reframe the Wizard’s rule as something far more complicated than the original stories suggested.
Then came the musical. Premiering in 2003 with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman, Wicked translated Maguire’s novel into a theatrical experience built around the evolving relationship between Elphaba and Glinda. Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth led the original cast, bringing emotional weight and vocal power to characters who had long been treated as symbols. The show became a phenomenon. Its songs – “Defying Gravity,” “Popular,” “No Good Deed,” and “For Good” – reached far beyond Broadway and into mainstream culture.
A Historic Film Adaptation
After years of development, the first part of the two-part film adaptation was released in November 2024. Directed by Jon M. Chu, Wicked starred Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda, with a supporting cast that included Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, Marissa Bode, Jeff Goldblum, and Ethan Slater. The film stayed close to the musical’s first act, following Elphaba’s time at Shiz University and her early clashes with institutional power.
Visually expansive and emotionally grounded, the film successfully brought the musical’s theatricality to screen while building out its world for a global audience. With over $750 million in global box office revenue, it became the highest-grossing Broadway musical-to-film adaptation in history, surpassing past blockbusters like Les Misérables and Chicago. It received ten Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Cynthia Erivo, and Best Supporting Actress for Ariana Grande – her first Oscar nod. It went on to win for Best Production Design and Best Costume Design.
At the 97th Academy Awards in March 2025, Erivo and Grande opened the ceremony with a live performance that combined “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” “Home,” and “Defying Gravity.” The segment earned a standing ovation and marked one of the night’s most talked-about moments. Since its theatrical run, the film has been available to stream on Peacock, including a sing-along version and exclusive behind-the-scenes features.
For Good: What Comes Next
Now titled Wicked: For Good, the second installment picks up where the first left off. As suggested by the title – a reference to the musical’s most reflective duet – the film promises to bring the story to its emotional conclusion. We find Elphaba and Glinda on opposite sides of a story they once shared. Branded as the Wicked Witch, Elphaba lives in hiding, fighting to protect Oz’s silenced Animals and expose the lies at the heart of the Wizard’s regime. Glinda, now the polished face of Goodness, resides in the Emerald City palace under Madame Morrible’s instruction, adored by the public but increasingly unsettled by what she’s left behind. As she prepares to marry Fiyero, her attempt to reconcile with Elphaba fails, drawing Boq, Nessarose, and Fiyero deeper into the fallout. The arrival of a girl from Kansas shifts everything. Myth collides with memory, and the story begins to unravel. Alongside fan-favorite songs, the film introduces two new original pieces – one each for Elphaba and Glinda – written to reflect who they’ve become and what they still owe each other. In the end, the future of Oz depends on whether they can finally face the truth – together.
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The Wicked Event Special
Ahead of the film’s release, NBC will air Wicked: For Good – A Special Event this November. The prime-time broadcast will include live performances, cast interviews, and exclusive footage from the making of both films. Hosted by Erivo and Grande, the special will be available for streaming on Peacock the following day.
It’s a rare kind of franchise that earns this kind of platform between films. The special affirms Wicked’s place in the cultural conversation – not just as a successful adaptation, but as a work that continues to engage audiences across age groups, formats, and borders.
A Story That Continues to Grow
Few musical adaptations have arrived with such history behind them – and few have managed to meet that history with such clarity. From Baum’s original book to the 1939 film, from Maguire’s revisionist novel to the Broadway stage, Wicked has constantly reinvented its core question: Who gets to tell the story?
The trailer for Wicked: For Good reaffirms the creative energy behind this series. It’s a continuation, yes, but it’s also a culmination. With the second film arriving in theaters this November, one of the most widely beloved musicals of the 21st century will complete its cinematic arc. If the first part proved the story could thrive on screen, the second seems ready to show just how far it can go.
