Erivo and Grande’s chemistry and real-life friendship prompted several viral interview moments during the first film’s promotional run last year, and the pair jointly opened the Academy Awards in March with a Wicked medley.
But one challenge facing the sequel is that most of the best known songs from the musical, such as Defying Gravity, Popular and The Wizard And I, featured in the first film.
The forthcoming follow-up will feature two brand new songs, with Chu explaining:, external “They’re great additions to this movie. They were necessary in this movie to help tell the story.”
Two other Wicked staples – For Good and No Good Deed – will also appear in part two.
The sequel will see Grande and Erivo joined once again by co-stars Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard.
Grande’s Glinda is seen in the trailer wearing a wedding dress, suggesting she may be about to marry Bailey’s Fiyero, who – echoing the lyrics to the title track For Good – promises he has “changed”.
Meanwhile, Goldblum’s wizard is seen declaring to Dorothy, the tin man, scarecrow and lion: “Get me the broom of the Wicked Witch of the West.”
One of the teaser’s most emotional moments comes when Elphaba is seen telling Glinda: “You’re the only friend I’ve ever had.”
“And I’ve had so many friends,” laughs a characteristically self-assured Glinda. “But only one that mattered.”
