Top 10 Thrillifying Easter Eggs in Wicked's New Trailer—Including Secrets From the International Cuts | Playbill

Video Top 10 Thrillifying Easter Eggs in Wicked's New Trailer—Including Secrets From the International Cuts

The new English-language trailer is chock full of fun details, but the international trailers offer even more easter eggs, including listens to the film's foreign language singing dubs.

Rejoicify, Ozians! Two new full-length trailers were released September 5 for the upcoming two-part Wicked movie, and Playbill has combed through the footage to make sure no detail goes unnoticed. 

Yes, you read that right! There were two trailers released today. While English markets received a lovely new trailer focused on Glinda and Elphaba's relationship in the face of Elphaba's growth, international markets such as Brazil, France, and Italy received an alternate cut that emphasized the threat against Dr. Dillamond and the animals (or Animals!) of Oz.

Watch the first trailer above and then read on to see what we noticed in both. Warning! Spoilers for the long-running musical ahead.

The first film in the two-movie series is scheduled to hit movie theatres November 22. The second part will release Thanksgiving 2025. Along with stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, the two-part film will star West End Company Olivier winner and Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, SpongeBob SquarePants star Ethan Slater as Boq, Emmy winner Peter Dinklage as Dr. Dillamond, 2023 Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard, and newcomer Marissa Bode as Nessarose, the first wheelchair-using actor in the musical's history to take on the role.

Stage and screen star Keala Settle, SNL's Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Aaron Teoh, and Colin Michael Carmichael also play roles new to the musical's screen version, with Settle as Miss Coddle, Carmichael as Professor Nikidik, and Yang, James, and Teoh as Shiz students Pfannee, ShenShen, and Avaric, respectively.

Now, let's get into the nitty gritty details! In the newly released trailer, eagle eyed fans can spot...

The Silver Shoes!

Did you know that the magical slippers, immortalized as ruby red in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, were silver in the original books? Changed to a more eye-popping hue to take advantage of the film's technicolor brilliance, the silver shoes were author L. Frank Baum's original intention, and they reverted to their metallic color for the stage musical. In this trailer, we get a nice, clear glimpse of the ornate silver slippers as they are gifted to Elphaba's sister Nessarose, delivered in a ruby encrusted box; the best of both worlds! The move is especially interesting because the slippers reverted to silver for Wicked's stage production in part because the creators did not have the rights to the 1939 film. The upcoming movie-musical does have those rights, so they could have chosen to bring back the iconic ruby slippers!

Dorothy and Friends

Speaking of the 1939 film, we get a good glimpse of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion skipping down the Yellow Brick Road in this trailer! This is a fascinating detail for those who have been following Wicked's split into two films. If the first film ends where the first act of the stage musical ends, Dorothy won't have arrived in Oz yet. Perhaps this is an early glimpse of Wicked Part Two: For Good? Or, just maybe, Jon M. Chu is shifting timelines more than previously expected. We will have to see!

Poor Little Thing!

We get a solid look at the Cowardly Lion as a cub in this trailer, after Elphaba and Fiyero rescue him from his cage. The tiny terrified cub is whisked away from the classroom by the duo, with Elphaba transporting him in a basket on the back of her bike, calling to mind Miss Gulch and Toto from the 1939 film.

Hands Touch, Eyes Meet

Immediately after we see the Cowardly Lion cub, we glimpse the beginning of Elphaba and Fiyero's affections as Elphaba tends to a scratch on Fiyero's face. This moment, which precedes the song "I'm Not That Girl" in the stage musical, is incredibly charged on both sides, which is clearly communicated by both Erivo and Bailey before he runs off, flustered.

The Grimmerie

We even get a glimpse of the magical Grimmerie in this trailer! This spellbook, which unlocks Elphaba's true potential as a sorcerer, is perhaps the most important object in her life. No longer a large leatherbound book, the Grimmerie now appears to be an ambulatory text, with pages shifting shape and flowing forth as Elphaba unlocks the magic within.

Ethan Slater

This trailer also offered our first full look at Ethan Slater in action as Boq, the Munchkin who is pressured by Glinda into romancing Elphaba's sister Nessarose. Costumed with a curly red wig and patchwork clothes, a child Munchkin in a flashback appears to be similarly adorned. Perhaps Boq and Elphaba now have unfinished business from childhood?

Now, onto that international trailer...

Wicked Witch Theme

In both trailers, a musical phrase commonly referred to as the "Wicked Witch" theme plays as Madame Morrible declares Elphaba an enemy of the state. This theme, established in the 1939 film, is perhaps the most iconic measure of music to be associated with the character across all adaptations and imaginings. This isn't the only time music from the 1939 film has been interpolated; careful listeners should already be well aware that the "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" theme was reimagined by composer Stephen Schwartz into the "Unlimited" theme within the musical.

Missing Animal Posters

The international trailer is much more focused on the story's political overtones, with Elphaba identifying with the plight of Animals within Oz, and her struggles to protect them. We see her, lantern in hand, examining the missing posters of a number of high profile Animals that have disappeared from society, leaving only her beloved Dr. Dillamond ensconced within Shiz. 

Animals Should Be Seen and Not Heard

Dr. Dillamond is hardly safe, however. Just like in the musical, his classroom blackboard is defaced with an anti-Animal slogan "Animals Should Be Seen and Not Heard," although in the film it appears the text has been written in blood rather than chalk. No wonder he is terrified!

"Poppies... Poppies Will Put Them To Sleep"

In the 1939 film, the scene where the Wicked Witch stupefies Dorothy and Friends in a poppy field is one of the most iconic scenes, with eye popping reds and pinks overcome by a snowy white storm. In the international trailer, we see Elphaba conjure the sleeping poppies for the first time, flying into the air throughout her classroom as her peers succumb to their languorous effect.

Dr. Dillamond

We also get a brief glimpse of Dr. Dillamond's kidnapping, as he is manhandled through the door by agents of The Wizard as Elphaba and her class friends scramble in their seats in an attempt to stop it. Dr. Dillamond is the inciting individual for almost all of Wicked's plot. Without him, Elphaba would not have committed as deeply to her sorcery, wouldn't have gone to the Emerald city, and certainly wouldn't have turned against the Wizard and refashioned herself as a freedom fighter. Playbill checked in with the original Dr. Dillamond, William Youmans, to talk about the importance of his role in the lead-up to the musical's 20th Broadway anniversary.

See Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, More In New Wicked Film Posters

 
Today’s Most Popular News:
 X

Blocking belongs
on the stage,
not on websites.

Our website is made possible by
displaying online advertisements to our visitors.

Please consider supporting us by
whitelisting playbill.com with your ad blocker.
Thank you!