Universal has released 9 new character posters for Wicked For Good, highlighting the movie's lead heroes, villains, supporting characters, and a recent addition: Colman Domingo's Cowardly Lion.
There's no sign of the Scarecrow or the Tin Man, so perhaps those posters will follow. Neither Dorothy nor her new friends is expected to have huge roles in the Wicked sequel, though we'd still bet on them having voices.
Deadline recently spoke with director Jon M. Chu, and he described Cynthia Erivo's Elphaba (a.k.a. the Wicked Witch) as a "superhero."
"I mean that opening, cold open, she comes down," the filmmaker teased. "We wanted to show how powerful she really was. I think this is how you show a superhero, especially these women as superheroes, and not have to fit into what a guy’s superhero is, the stereotype of it all. Elphaba’s her own person and Glinda could be too. It’s also the origin story of Glinda the Good."
Domingo's casting as the Cowardly Lion was announced yesterday, with this interview taking place shortly before the news broke. Revealing how he approached the then-mystery actor, Chu said it was a case of sliding into the Academy Award-nominated actor's Instagram DMs.
"I was like, 'It’s not a ton of lines, but maybe you have a little time. I know you’re busy. I’ll come to you.' He was like, 'Why the f*ck not, let’s go!' And then we went ahead and recorded the lines," he explained. "Man, wait until the red carpet when the actor who gave us the Cowardly Lion’s voice steps foot on it. It’ll be wild."
Tickets for Wicked For Good recently went on sale. It'll be a busy opening week for the sequel, as the first screenings start on Monday, November 17, with IMAX showings for Prime members. While the movie has yet to hit tracking, a final global haul of over $1 billion seems likely.
It's previously been reported that Universal Pictures has plans to expand the Wicked franchise, with various spin-offs reportedly planned. Those would obviously move beyond the musical to tell original stories, a risk for any beloved property.
Check out these new Wicked For Good character posters in the Instagram posts below.
Wicked: For Good is the final chapter of the untold story of the witches of Oz, which begins with Elphaba and Glinda estranged and living with the consequences of their choices.
Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), now demonised as The Wicked Witch of the West, lives in exile, hidden within the Ozian forest while continuing her fight for the freedom of Oz’s silenced Animals and desperately trying to expose the truth she knows about The Wizard (Jeff Goldblum).
Glinda, meanwhile, has become the glamorous symbol of Goodness for all of Oz, living at the palace in Emerald City and revelling in the perks of fame and popularity. Under the instruction of Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), Glinda is deployed to serve as an effervescent comfort to Oz, reassuring the masses that all is well under the rule of The Wizard.
As Glinda’s stardom expands and she prepares to marry Prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) in a spectacular Ozian wedding, she is haunted by her separation from Elphaba. She attempts to broker a conciliation between Elphaba and The Wizard, but those efforts will fail, driving Elphaba and Glinda only further apart. The aftershocks will transform Boq (Ethan Slater) and Fiyero forever, and threaten the safety of Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose (Marissa Bode), when a girl from Kansas comes crashing into all their lives.
As an angry mob rises against the Wicked Witch, Glinda and Elphaba will need to come together one final time. With their singular friendship now the fulcrum of their futures, they will need to truly see each other, with honesty and empathy, if they are to change themselves and all of Oz, for good.
Wicked: For Good arrives in theaters on November 21.