Wicked movie stars tease 'Defying Gravity' in new clips: 'There are added elements'

Wicked was a musical first, but soon the movie will match it in renown. Tickets for the upcoming big-screen version of Wicked went on sale Wednesday, and the cast and crew unleashed a flood of promotional material to get fans excited for the theatrical release.

Wicked is based on the hit (and still ongoing) Broadway musical that was itself adapted from Gregory Maguire's novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which was a postmodern riff on L. Frank Baum's original Wizard of Oz stories. The new movie stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba (named in honor of Baum's initials), a young green-skinned woman with magical talents who will one day grow up to be known as the Wicked Witch of the West. But this story is about her education and her early friendship with Glinda the Good (Ariana Grande) before they became enemies.

There is, first of all, a new commercial spot for the film. After the first Wicked trailer during this year's Super Bowl focused on dialogue, world-building, and introducing the characters, this new clip is entirely filled with singing and dancing. There are clips of the musical's biggest songs like Grande's "Popular," Jonathan Bailey's rendition of "Dancing Through Life," and of course Erivo's Act One showstopper "Defying Gravity."

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There are more teases about "Defying Gravity" floating around as well. Several Wicked tie-in toys are now on sale, including a pink karaoke microphone. Some fans have found that this microphone actually includes audio of Erivo performing the song where Elphaba declares defiant independence from the bureaucracy of Oz and its leader, the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum).

Erivo and Grande discussed the film's version of "Defying Gravity" in a new interview with Fandango to promote ticket orders. Erivo said that her interpretation of the song will differ in several respects from the original Broadway version made famous by Idina Menzel.

"The wonderful thing about this particular version is that it grows," Erivo says. "There are added elements that you don't get from the stage version. There are moments of pause and space. There's much more space in it, so it goes for awhile."

Director Jon. M Chu declined to say exactly how long the film's "Defying Gravity" lasts, but confirmed that it's "a long sequence."

"Because we have the luxury of being on film, the flying is real. I'm singing while I'm flying, I'm up in the air," Erivo added, alongside behind-the-scenes footage of her performing wire work on set.

There is also a new poster for Wicked that longtime fans should find familiar. It features Erivo and Grande in a recreation of the classic Broadway poster, which featured Glinda whispering into Elphaba's ear. This version is slightly different, since Erivo's Elphaba is not smiling and Grande's hands are placed a little lower than her frenemy's ear.

Wicked hits theaters on Nov. 22, with a second film set to follow next year. Watch the cast talk about the movie to Fandango above.